


Taking Control

by Attropus



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, F/M, Gen, Post Season 4, Slow Burn - Bumblebee, Well Earned Smut, Yang Goes to Menagerie After Vol 4, plot heavy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-10-13 21:41:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 39,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10522461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Attropus/pseuds/Attropus
Summary: Yang is ready to get back into action, but for that she needs something - her partner. Yang finds Blake in Menagerie, but their reunion is just the beginning. Blake wants to take back control of the White Fang, and Yang is itching for some revenge.The journey won't be easy.





	1. Reunion

The ship’s horn bellowed to signal its docking at the port of Menagerie.

Yang, however, didn’t need the sound to tell her she’d arrived. For the past hour, she’d been on the upper deck, eyes glued to the tiny speck that was Menagerie as it grew larger on the horizon. And now, here she was. It was right in front of her. Her body shook. She couldn’t tell if it was excitement or fear that was moving her so, but she ventured it was a bit of both. All these feelings and she didn’t even know if who she was looking for would even be here. Yang pulled a flask out of her inside jacket pocket. She deftly unscrewed the top and took a swig. Not as good as a strawberry sunrise, but it took the edge off nonetheless.

Blake. Yang grit her teeth. Her teammate. Her partner. When she found her she was going to give her a piece of her mind. But, she knew herself well enough to know that her rage wouldn’t last long. Yang wanted to yell and scream at Blake for leaving her, but she also wanted to hold her so tightly that she’d never leave again. The latter emotion would surely prevail. But more than either of those things, she wanted to know why Blake left. She wanted to understand.

A bell began to toll in the distance. It snapped Yang out of her thoughts and she was glad for that. She had more important things to do than replay that scenario in her head for the nth time. The boarding ramp lowed with rhythmic clacking. It was time to go. She walked over to her bike and, with a deep breath, grabbed the handle bars.

Yang walked slowly down the ramp. This was Blake’s home, and she wanted to take in everything about it in the hopes that understanding the place better would help her better understand her partner, too. She looked side to side, up and down, and breathed deeply of the salty air. Her lips twitched into a hint of a smile. The smell reminded her of home. That was the only thing that was even remotely similar to Patch, though. The geography, the architecture, all of the fanus - Yang had never seen so many in one place in her whole life - everything about this place was different.

Different wasn’t a bad thing at all to Yang. On the contrary, finally getting to see a new land filled her with vigor. It was the desire for adventures like this that made her want to became a huntress in the first place. Blake had told her very little about Menagerie. Everything else she knew was from books, and they didn’t do the place justice. There was nothing like getting boots on the ground and seeing a new land up close.

Yang brought her focus back to the task at hand. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a picture of team RWBY. When she looked back up, she noticed several faunus watching her. She laughed lightly in the realization that she clearly didn’t look like that average visitor to Menagerie. At least she already had their attention. That would make breaking the ice and getting the information she needed out of them easier.

“Hello~!” Yang waved and walked up to a young man with deer horns protruding from his forehead.

The faunus jumped and looked around to see if the human could be talking to someone else. When he realized that Yang was, indeed, talking to him he answered her with a started. “Hi!”

“Sorry to bother you. I was wondering if you’ve seen this girl.” Yang held out the photo for him to get a good look and pointed at Blake in the picture.

He looked from the picture to Yang a few times. “You know Blake Belladonna?” His tone was skeptical.

“You do, too? That’s great!” Yang couldn’t believe her luck. The first person she asked knew Blake, too. It was a good sign. Maybe finding her was going to be easier than she thought.

“Well, not personally, no…”

“What? Is she famous or something?” Yang blew raspberries and slapped her knee. The deer fanus just blinked at her. Yang waited for him to answer her or laugh along with the joke. When he didn’t do either thing, she gasped. “Oh my God, she’s actually famous…”

“I mean, she’s not exactly famous…” The young man's tone turned darker.

Yang cocked an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”

“Anyway, look, just go up those stairs over there and go straight. Her house is the big one where the main road ends.” He pointed to a large stairway and rambled out the rest of his directions before turning on his heals.

“Thanks, buddy!” Yang yelled loudly enough for everyone in the port market to hear her. Several more pairs of eyes fell on her and she shrugged. She’d find out why that faunus was being weird about Blake when she saw her. It was time for a reunion.

Yang walked back over to her bike and revved up the engine. She’d be at Blake’s house in seconds with Bumblebee to get her there. Thanks to the oversized wheels, the bike made it up and over the stairs without issue. The large house came into view and Yang squeezed harder on the throttle. She didn’t want to waste a single second when it came to getting back to Blake.

Yang brought Bumblebee to a skidding stop in front of the house. Dust whirled high into the air. She jumped off the bike through the dust cloud and leaped up the stairs. She wrapped her hand around the large door knocker and brought it up and down in one smooth motion. The crash reverberated in her chest. Yang stepped back from the door and took a few deep breaths to try and slow her breathing. She closed her eyes, but couldn’t stop a few tears from escaping. Please, she thought, please be here…

The door unlatched. Yang’s eyes flashed open and she quickly wiped her tears away. An older cat faunus appeared in the doorway. A moment of dismay passed though Yang, but after a closer look at the woman in front of her it was easy to see the resemblance. She was standing before Blake’s mother.

“H-” Yang’s voice broke and she paused to clear her throat. “Hi.” She successfully got the words out the second time. “I’m-”

“Yang Xiao Long…” Blake’s mother finished her introduction.

“Yes, but - how do you know…?” Blake had never really talked about her parents, or any parts of her life before Beacon, with Yang. So, she had a hard time believing that Blake came home and immediately starting telling her family everything about team RWBY.

“Sun told me all about you and Blake’s adventures with team RWBY.” Blake’s mother walked outside and wrapped an arm around Yang’s waist and beckoned her inside.

“Sun’s here?” Yang didn’t intend to sound so displeased about it. She was glad that someone was able to help Blake get home and take care of her, but that didn’t change the fact that should have been her job.

“Yes. He...sort of followed Blake home.”

“Well, he’s persistent, if nothing else.”

Blake’s mom cracked up at Yang’s comment. She laughed so hard that tears started streaming down her face. Yang smiled and laughed along with her. She hadn’t even meant that as a joke, but the Blake’s mother’s laughter was contagious.

Blake’s mother’s laughter ebbed and she extended her hand. “I’m Kali.”

Yang took it and shook vigorously. “Nice to meet you, Kali.”

“Mom!? Is everything okay?” Her familiar voice rang out clearly from the inside of the house.

Yang froze. It was Blake. And she was headed this way. She’d had plenty of time to figure out what to say and do when this moment finally came. But, now that it was here she couldn’t remember any of those thing. Her mind went blank and it felt as if someone had shoved a handful of cotton balls in her mouth. All that was left was the anger she felt toward her partner for leaving her - right when she needed her the most.

Kali held a hand up to her mouth and called out. “Yes, Sweetheart! Everything’s fine!” The footsteps kept coming regardless.

“Who’s -” Blake stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway. Her eyes trained on the yellow haired huntress in front of her. “Yang?” She could barely say her partner’s name without her voice wavering.

Yang held up her hand in a waving gesture. “Hi.” All of the rage Yang felt toward Blake melted away at the sight of the faunus. It was true that she had left Vale suddenly and without any goodbyes, and Yang had every intention of getting some answers about that, but now, it was just good to see Blake. It was good to know that she was alive and well.

Blake’s breathing hitched and tears started streaming down her face. She dove into Yang and wrapped her arms tightly around her middle.

Yang squeezed her back and buried her face into Blake’s black locks.

“I’m going to give you two a minute…” Kali made her exit and shut the front door behind her.

After a long moment, Blake pulled away and wiped her eyes. It was no use, the tears just kept coming. “After everything that’s happened...you still came for me...why?” She shook her head and crossed her arms. The faunus’ eyes narrowed. She looked far from pleased.

Yang punched Blake’s shoulder affectionately. “Come on, Blake...we’re partners. What other reason do I need? You, me...Ruby, and Weiss...we’re meant to be together. I couldn’t leave you to take on the whole world by yourself, could I? Besides,” Yang smirked. “We’re stronger together.”

Blake’s features softened and her gaze fell. “You should hate me for what I did…” Her voice was barely audible.

Yang placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. “Do you really want me to hate you?”

“Yes!” There was an edge of desperation in Blake’s voice that Yang had never heard before. “It’s safer for you that way!”

Yang’s eyes flashed red and she gripped Blake’s shoulders hard. “My safety doesn’t matter at all if you aren’t safe along with me! Why can’t you see that, Blake?” Yang couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. She cast her eye down to the ground. Shame for failing to save Blake from that White Fang psycho welled up in her chest. “I know you want to protect me, but I want to protect you, too!”

“Yang…”

Yang looked back up. Blake’s taken aback expression met her gaze. The faunus’ eyes went from Yang’s face to her arm and stayed there.

“You’re arm...”

Yang let her arms drop from Blake’s shoulders and pulled the glove off of her right hand. She held out her new robotic arm for Blake to take a closer look. Blake took the prosthetic in her hand and ran her fingers along it. Her jaw tightened and she released the fake limb. It was clear that she’d never seen anything like it. And that something about the thing made her very uneasy. Yang didn’t blame her for being somewhat averse to it. She’d never seen anything like it, either, until it arrived in the mail that day.

“It’s Atlas Tech...I don’t even know why they gave it to me. Supposedly, General Ironwood was involved...but who gave it to me isn’t important.” Yang curled the metallic fingers in and out a few times and placed the glove back on her hand. She made a fist and looked at it with foreboding. “The important thing is I have it, and I’m going to use it to get even with the White Fang.”

Blake crossed her arms again, and turned her back on Yang.

Yang’s stomach dropped. She didn’t like where this was going at all. Blake was shutting down, and she didn’t know how to bring her back. Yang punched her fists together in front of her chest. “What? I figured you’d approve of knocking some White Fang heads.” It was easy to fall back into her typical joking mode than to outright confront her partner. Still, Yang regretted the words the instant they came out of her mouth. Dumb jokes about beating on the bad guys weren’t going to show Blake how serious she was about staying by her side.

Blake looked back at Yang out of the corner of her eye. “I won’t let you get involved in this…you should go.” She made a move for the door.

Yang reached out and snatched Blake by the wrist. “Don’t you dare run away again!”

* * *

 Blake took a step toward the door, but an iron grip around her wrist jerked her to a sudden stop. Her eyes narrowed. Yang had no idea what she was getting herself into. She needed to stop for her own good.

“Don’t you dare run away again!”

Blake spun back around and yanked hard against Yang’s grip, but couldn’t break free of the other girl. Instead she ended up pulling Yang into her so they were face to face. “Let me go!”

“Make me.” Yang practically growled back.

“If you keep pushing this you’re bound to lose a lot more than just your arm! I don’t want you to die for me...” Blake’s strong voice faded to a whimper.

“That’s not your call to make!”

That gave Blake pause. Sun had said the same thing after they had fought Ilia together. And he was right. She couldn’t make his, Yang’s, or anyone else’s choices. But, that didn’t change the fact that her friend was making a terrible mistake, a mistake that would surely end in her death. Blake had come to terms with the fact that she might have to give her life in her fight to gain back control of the White Fang. Why would anyone choose to stay and fight by her side knowing the force they were up against?

“You’re right. It’s not my call, but please, for me...don’t do this. Trust me, you’ll die if you follow me.” Fresh tears fell from her eyes at the thought of Yang dying. Blake would rather suffer through a life of utter loneliness than even entertain the idea of Yang’s death. Especially in a fight that wasn’t hers to begin with.

Yang let go of Blake’s wrists and pulled her into a hug so tight that it pinned the other girl’s arms to her sides. “I do trust you. But, right now, your fear is clouding your judgement. We stand a better chance of surviving together no matter what the world throws at us.”

“More like dying together…” Blake shot back. The words got muffled in Yang’s shoulder. It was the more likely outcome, anyway.

Yang just laughed. “Well, there could be worse things.”

Blake was getting tired of this game of tit for tat. She sighed. “Like what?”

“Dying alone.” Yang said with a degree of sobriety that she didn’t often use.

Dying alone didn’t sound that bad, if Yang was saved because of it. Still, that tone. There was such sadness in it. If Blake was on her own at the end, what would that mean for Yang? Sure, she had Ruby, her dad, and even Weiss, but there was something about the way she spoke those words. There was no way she was leaving. Blake didn’t know why the realization surprised her so much. Yang had come all this way just to find her. She wasn’t about to turn tail and run. There really wasn’t much of a choice for Blake to even make. If she didn’t let Yang in on what she was planning, she had no doubt the nosy huntress would find a way to help, or get in the way trying.

“Arg! Fine, Yang!” Blake pushed herself out of the embrace. “You made your point. If you want to get yourself killed because of me, go right ahead!”

“Will do! But, don’t worry. I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.” Yang put her hands on her hips and smiled confidently. “So, what the plan?”  
Blake facepalmed. First Sun, and now Yang, too. How many other people she loved were going to get roped into this damned suicide mission? Her shoulders drooped as if the weight of the world itself was dragging her down. She sighed. “Let’s go inside. I’ll fill you in on all the details.”

* * *

 “You want to do what, now!?” Yang blurted out and slammed her soup bowl down on the table. She choked on the sip of soup she’d just taken.

“Take back the White Fang.” Blake repeated herself. Yang couldn’t have misheard her, but she took care to enunciate each word carefully just in case.

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to take them out?” Yang asked.

It was an innocent enough question, but how could Yang not see the value in saving the White Fang? The group itself still had a crucial role to play, even though radical elements had corrupted it in recent years. Blake had fallen down the same misguided path as the rest of them. She had to give them a chance to redeem themselves, even if only a small percentage of the group wanted to end the violence they now propagated.

“The White Fang can still be a force for good in the world! I know it. They just need someone to guide them down the right path.” Blake balled her hands into fists on the table.

“Yeah!” Sun jumped into the conversation. “We just need to show ‘em who’s boss!”

His comments were met with silence and annoyed glances. Even Yang shook her head disapprovingly.

Sun snapped and pointed at Blake with both his index fingers. “You’re the boss.” There was a collective groan around the table. Sun laughed nervously and took a big sip of soup. Blake hoped he would keep that up and just listen for a little while. This wasn’t the time for jokes. What they needed now was a course of action. Deciding to take back the White Fang and actually doing it were two completely different things.

“Thank you, Mr. Wukong, for adding absolutely nothing to the conversation, as usual…” Ghira grumbled and gave Sun a look of downright dislike.

“Ghira…” Kali placed a hand on her husband's arm.

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Back to business. The most important thing to do right now is find Sienna. She’s in the most immediate danger. If we can help her, it would endear us to the less radical elements of the White Fang.”

Blake nodded. She still had her doubts about Sienna and her true intentions for the White Fang. When Adam and her had been out raiding dust shipments with extreme prejudice, it had been under Sienna's orders. It seemed like the White Fang in its entirety had succumbed to violence and the results it brought. But, if the information on Ilia’s scroll was correct, Adam was still planning on killing Sienna. Why else would Adam want Sienna dead, if not to change the way the White Fang was currently operating? Nothing was adding up. She had to find Sienna and speak with her, only then could she decide what to do with her former mentor.

Yang nugged Sun and asked discreetly. “Who’s Sienna?”

“The leader of the White Fang.” Sun told her under his breath. Yang nodded in understanding.

“Right.” Blake agreed with her father’s assessment for the time being. She hoped it would be that simple. “And, if for some reason, she’s not what she seems - we can take him out ourselves.”

A somber silence followed. Blake had never talked about killing anyone before, but it was something that was bound to come up sooner or later. It was foolish for any of them to think they could take the White Fang back without spilling blood. It wasn’t a question of if they would have to kill - it was a question of when. Blake took the group’s silence as tacit approval. Killing human and faunus might not be as morally easy as destroying the creatures of grimm, but it would be necessary for them to meet their goals. Blake frowned. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t killed before, but this was a fine line to walk. She didn’t want to fall down the wrong path again - once blood gets on one's hands it’s easy to justify more death. That had been exactly how the White Fang had gotten out of hand in the first place. How she could do what needed to be done, but still maintain her morals was a mystery. It might be impossible. Blake put on a strong face.

“Well, we have to find her first either way.” Yang looked over at her partner with stoney features, too. She couldn’t be happy with what Blake was suggesting. Killing was against everything Yang was.

Blake nodded at her. It was good to know Yang had her back.

“Is there no way to convince Ilia to help us? I just can’t imagine her going along with this plan - I mean, the two of you use to be so close...” Kali looked over to her daughter with pleading eyes.

“Mom. You saw her scroll yourself. She’s…” Blake bit her lip and looked away from her mother’s gaze. She wished there was someway to help Ilia, but she made her choice. There was no way of forcing her to leave the White Fang. She had to make that call on her own. “She won’t help us.”

“I hate to agree, Mrs. B, but that chick is definitely not on our side. Don’t forget, she tried to kill me!” Sun pulled his jacket back and flashed the fresh wound on his chest for all to see.

“I can’t shake the feeling that Fennec and Corsac are more involved in this...and they would certainly know where Sienna is.” Ghira pondered aloud to no one in particular.

“Agreed.” Blake’s nose scrunched up in thought. Fennec and Corsac. Those little weasels. They had always been a little off. That didn’t mean they were a part of the plot to kill Sienna, but Ilia hadn’t shown up until they had seen her the day they came to meet with her father. It was very possible that they were working together. They didn’t have enough information to prove that fact, however. “It’s probably best to keep them in the dark, for now. We don’t know where their allegiance truly lies. They could very well be working for Adam, just like Ilia. And even if they aren’t, asking about Sienna’s location would still appear suspicious.”

“Oh! I know! Why don’t we capture Ilia and interrogate her! I bet I could get your chameleon friend to talk!” Sun moved his hand around animatedly and seemed to be acting out some goofy torture techniques.

“Sun!” Blake slammed her hands down onto the table.

Sun stopped dead. He lowered his hands sheepishly to his sides and giggled nervously.

Blake relaxed. “Even if we caught her, she wouldn’t talk. Plus, I don’t want to make a move that risky yet. What if we tried to catch her and made a scene? We need to stay low profile.”

“Low profile.” Sun saluted. “Got it! So...what other options do we have?”

“Perhaps there’s some evidence of where Sienna is at her home?” Ghira stroked his beard thoughtfully.

Blake’s heart rate spiked. “That it! The outside of her home is bound to be well guarded, but once inside we should be able to move about freely and search for clues of Sienna’s whereabouts.”

“I’m sensing a good ‘ol fashioned stake out…” Yang leaned back on her hands. There was an edge of excitement in her voice. Her eyes glowed like they alway did before a mission.

Blake smirked back at her partner and rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.” The two of them got to their feet.

“Wait! What about me!?” Sun scrambled to his feet, too.

“You’re going to stay here and rest.” Blake pointed to the ground. “That wound of yours is nowhere near healed. I know you want to help, Sun, but the best way you can do that right now is to get back into fighting shape as soon as possible.” It was sound logic. Even Sun wouldn’t be able to argue with that, he would likely try, but he wouldn’t win.

Sun huffed. “I am in fighting shape!” He lifted his arms and flexed with bravado, but doubled over with his hand over his injury a second later.

“Yup, sure looks like it…” Yang said sarcastically.

Blake nudged Yang in the ribs with her elbow. It was an old habit to remind Yang to be kinder. Still, there was no need for that sort of politeness here. Yang was only being honest. It was better for her to make fun of him here, then for him to go with them on their mission and get even more injured, or worse.

Yang’s expression softened and she placed a hand on his good shoulder. “Don’t worry, Sun. I’ll take care of her.”

“Fine.” Sun plopped back down on his mat. “But you two better be careful out there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone - questions/comments are welcome!


	2. Whiplash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I hope you enjoy the next chapter! This one is pretty action heavy - so it was really hard for me to write. Haha. 
> 
> I just wanted to make a note about Sienna Khan - until recently I thought that this character was going to be male, but after looking at several theories, I've changed my mind. I think Sienna will be introduced at a female character. Who knows? I could be totally wrong about this, but I've changed my pronouns to reflect my new opinion.
> 
> Without further ado -

Yang leaned her back against the tree behind her and stifled a yawn. They’d been sneaking around Sienna Khan’s house for several hours and still hadn’t found an opportunity to sneak past the White Fang guards. Stakeouts never seemed this long - or boring - in all those old books Yang had read. Just one more way that being a real life huntress didn’t match up with the stories of her childhood. After everything she’d been through recently, she wasn’t surprised by the disparity in the slightest.  

Blake didn’t seem fazed by the waiting. She had been glued to the same spot for several hours, flat on her stomach, behind a large tropical bush. Her eyes darted back and forth through the foliage. She showed no signs of tiring.

The yawn Yang had been trying to hold back couldn’t be contained any longer. She was able to keep it quiet, at least. Yang flattened herself out on and the ground and crawled toward her partner. She laid out next to her in the same position. “I can’t see a thing…”

They’d lost the sun an hour prior. And the moon, which normally shined brightly, was obscured by unrelenting cloud cover. “What’s happening out there?”

“Shhh...” Blake hushed her and kept her eyes focused straight ahead.

“Damn faunus night vision…” Yang squinted, but try as she might, she couldn’t get her eyes to adjust to the deepening darkness. Outlines of dark gray on black were the best she could do. And that wasn’t nearly enough detail to make herself useful.

Without any warning, Blake jumped into a crouch and grabbed Yang by the arm. She dragged the other girl to her feet. “Don’t fall behind.”

Blake leaped over the bushes. Yang sprang after her. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of her partner. The faunus was her eyes, and if she got stuck out here without her it was only a matter of time before she would be caught. She wished Blake would slow down a bit, but if she was moving so fast, it meant she had no other option. Which also meant they were no doubt surrounded by the White Fang on all sides. Blake darted in and out of cover, and - even though Yang couldn’t see the threats she was evading - she followed every move.

In this way, they rounded the house. Blake took sudden turns to hide behind a tree here, or a wall there. Yang saw nothing but the faint outlines of her partner. It wracked her nerves. She felt totally helpless. All Yang wanted to do was get somewhere bright where she could see the threats in front of her. This whole being sneaky thing was not her forte. Blake, on the other hand, was without a doubt in her element.

Blake came to a dead stop and shot to Yang’s right. Yang turned, but lost her footing. In her haste and blindness, she hadn’t noticed the solid dirt underfoot had changed to loose gravel. The world turned upside down and Yang found herself flat on her back. She looked around frantically for Blake, but was met with nothing but blackness. Yang looked up and hopped that the moon would peek through the clouds, even for just a second, but her efforts were to no avail. There was only darkness.

Yang tucked her legs into her chest and wrapped her arms around her body tightly. Her body shook uncontrollably, and, try as she might, she couldn’t get it to stop. She was consumed by her fear and the darkness. It was the same as that terrible day. The day Beacon fell.

Yang gasped. There, out in the darkness, those red eyes looked back at her from behind that grimm mask with smug satisfaction. He was going to hurt her. He was going to hurt Blake. Yang trembled. One moment she was filled with rage - an uncontrollable rage, and then that searing pain. It crawled up her arm, into her spine, and settled in her very core. A deep pain, like nothing she had ever felt before. Yang groped for her arm, and was surprised to find more than just a stump. That wasn’t possible. Her arm shouldn’t be there. It should be lying somewhere out in the rubble.

And then what? Yang couldn’t see, couldn’t even hear. There was nothing but blackness, falling into the abyss, the burning pain, and the ache that she still found sometimes deep inside.

Strong arms wrapped tightly around her. Yang remembered those arms. Those were the arms that had pulled her from the wreckage. Those arms were safe. All the tension in Yang’s body melted away and she sunk into those arms. They had to belong to Blake. Who else could it be?

“Yang.”

Blake’s voice rang steady and calm in her ears. It _was_ her.

There was a pop and Yang’s head jerked to the side.  Prickles of pain spread across her cheek. Yang instinctively brought her hand up to where she had been struck.

“Yang!” Blake said in a harsh, but soft whisper.

Yang blinked a couple of times and looked around. Blake was on one knee next to her. Her hand was on Yang’s shoulder, holding her steady. It all came back. She was on Menagerie with Blake. She’d found her. They had to find Sienna, or at least clues of her whereabouts...Yang’s senses came back to her, but her mind was still mired in confusion. All of that had felt so real.

“Yang!”

“Yeah,” Yang looked up to met Blake’s amber eyes shining through the darkness. “I’m here.”

“Good.” Blake peaked over the top of the wall they were hiding behind, but kept in contact with Yang. She grimaced at whatever she saw. “You wait here.”

“What!? No!” Yang couldn’t contain her panic. She needed to help her partner.

Blake grabbed Yang’s other shoulder and pinned her to the wall. “Quiet.”

Yang took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. “I told you before, I’m not letting you take this on alone.”

“Yang...” Blake glowered at the fiery huntress. “I need to know you won’t zone out like that again.”

“I won't.” Yang did her best to put all of her confidence into those two simple words, but judging by the deepening furrows of Blake's eyebrows, she mustn’t have sold her conviction as well as she’d hopped.

Blake didn’t respond. Instead, she crept onward. Yang stayed on Blake’s heals. Both women edged forward until there wasn’t any more wall to hide behind. Blake leaned around the corner just slightly. Her index finger tapped against the wall rhythmically, as if she were counting something. Yang waited patiently in silence. “Just a little ways left. We’re almost by all of the guards. Are you ready?”

Yang nodded. She felt better with just that simple update.

Blake reached back and snatched Yang by the left wrist. “Now you won’t be able to fall behind.” This time she took off, dragging Yang behind her.

Yang felt more like a ragdoll than a huntress. Blake pulled her to and fro, but she did her best to remain as in control as possible. It was a good thing that Blake had grabbed her left arm, because the force she was yanking with would have surely caused Yang’s prosthetic to go flying from her body, or more accurately, Yang would’ve flown off and Blake would’ve been stuck running with just a metallic arm in hand.   

Blake lead her around another corner and up some stairs. A small screen door, much like the ones in Blake’s home, blocked the path they were heading down. Blake pulled Gambol Shroud from its sheath. It only took one quick and accurate strike to where the door met the wall and it popped open. She and Yang stepped through the threshold. Blake closed the door behind them softly. They’d made it. But, now the real work began.

Yang looked around. Even with her impaired vision, she could see they were standing in a large room. There was also a hodgepodge of dark blobs scattered around seemingly at random - most likely furnature. It was likely a place the leader of the White Fang used to host  guests, perhaps a parlor? There was only one sliding door in the room just across from them, so they had no choice but to head in that direction. Yang took care to move carefully around the furniture. It was best not to touch anything unless absolutely necessary.

Blake lead Yang fluidly through the door and down the next corridor. It was almost as if she’d been here before. But, of course she had. Before coming to Beacon and joining Team RWBY, she had served Sienna and the White Fang loyally. It was no wonder she knew this place like the back of her hand. That knowledge would hopefully help them get this mission finished without a hitch. Still, it had to be hard for Blake to be back in this place. It couldn’t be filled with the kind of memories she wanted to relive. All the more reason for them to get in and out as soon as possible.

They crisscrossed through the house until reaching a study. Blake locked the door behind them. It seemed overly cautious to Yang, but it was very much something she’d grown to expect from her partner.

“Nice digs, huh?” Yang joked. It was more for herself than for Blake. She was still on edge about that vision. A conversation, even a short one, would help her calm down. Hopefully, Blake would oblige now that they were out of immediate danger.

Blake crossed the room and stood before a large desk toward the back. She pulled open a drawer and began sifting through it’s contents before answering. “Considering how you can hardly see, that’s a bold claim to make. Now, get over here and help me.” Yang could hear the playful smile in her voice. It would’ve been nice to see it, too.

“Yes, Ma’am!” Yang gave a spirited salute and joined Blake at the desk.

Yang turned on her scroll’s light function. Ever since the Cross Continental Transmit System bad been destroyed after the fall of Beacon, scrolls had become nothing more than glorified flashlights and paperweights, but at least they weren’t totally useless. She opened the top drawer on the opposite side of the desk. There were several color coded files with large lettering on each tab. The man was organized, at least. Yang flipped through the tabs quickly. It was all financial stuff. There could be some clue to her location hidden somewhere in that kind of information, but it wasn’t the kind of solid lead that they needed. Lives were on the line. They had to find something better.

Yang shut the drawer and moved on to the one below it.

Without warning, Blake dragged Yang to the ground.

“What is -”

“Footsteps.” Blake answered before Yang could even get her question out.

Yang fumbled with her scroll and shut the light off. She was plunged back into darkness, but the sound of the study door being kicked in was loud and clear. At first, there was silence. No one moved. Then, the footsteps started moving toward where the two huntresses were hidden. They were slow and steady - practically calculated. Those were the footfalls of someone with a sense of purpose and direction, and without a doubt, someone strong.

The warmth of Blake’s body shifted away. Yang wanted to help, but once again, had to rely on Blake to take the lead.

The footsteps came to a halt.

“Ilia…” Blake’s voice came from above. She rounded the desk and walked closer to the one who had interrupted their search.

Yang stayed crouched and at the ready. She didn’t know what she’d be able to do, but she’d know the opportunity when it came.

"Don’t move.” Ilia’s sharp voice cut through the darkness.  

Blake came to a stop. “I’m glad you’re here. We didn’t get a chance to talk the other night.”

“We have nothing to talk about.” Her voice was stern, but equally pained. Yang felt sort of bad for her. It was clear that the two of them knew each other well. It was possible she could be reasoned with like Blake’s mother had suggested, but Yang wasn’t going to take any chances, not when it came to ensuring Blake’s safety. Right now, she was a threat, and would be one until proven otherwise.

“We certainly do. Why are you still with the White Fang?” Blake’s tone was accusatory. Yang’s jaw tightened. This Ilia person must have done something to hurt her already. Blake continued, her emotions bubbling to the surface. “You of all people should see that their methods -”

“Shut up, traitor!”

Ilia’s outburst was accompanied by some sort of clicking sound. A weapon, perhaps? Yang’s muscles contracted and tensed. Her legs shook; they told her to rush to Blake’s aid, but now wasn’t the time for that. A reckless move now could ruin their entire mission. She took a deep breath and balled her hands into fists. _Don’t move. Trust her._

Blake’s voice came back, but this time it was calm and even. “I may be a traitor to the White Fang, but at least I haven’t betrayed my conscience. I know you’re a better person than this, Ilia.”

“You don’t have the slightest idea of who I am anymore!” Ilia’s voice grew louder and more irate with each exchange.

“That may be true, but I know who you used to be. It’s not too late to be that person again.”

Ilia laughed curtly. “Yes. It is.” Her voice no longer had any trace of the emotion she’d exhibited earlier. It was cold as ice.

Neither woman reacted to that, at first. Yang waited. It seemed like an eternity before Blake spoke again. “I’m sorry.” The familiar sound of Gambol Shroud being drawn from it sheeth reverberated through the room.

There was a crack. A yellow light lit up the room for a brief moment. Yang vaulted over the desk and toward the noise. With one shot from Ember Celica, she was upon Ilia. She barreled into the other woman with her shoulder. Ilia went flying backwards and crashed into the wall.

“I’ll hold her off. Keep looking.” Yang kept her eyes trained on the spot where Ilia had disappeared. She took a defensive stance. Her days of charging into battle unprepared were over. She would wait for her opponent to make a move. This was her chance to test out the patience she’d learned while training with her father. She needed to find Ilia’s weakness, exploit it, and finish the fight as quickly as possible. No doubt, several of the White Fang goons guarding the premises must have heard Ilia yelling and Yang discharging Ember Celica. It would be best if she could be finished with Ilia by the time they arrived.

A cough came from across the room, followed by a growl that was almost feral. A dot of yellow light appeared in the darkness. Yang didn’t move from her position of readiness. In the past she may have lashed out at the light, but not anymore. She narrowed her eyes, watched the light with absolute focus, and waited. The light grew brighter and without warning launched at her. Yang dodged to the side and the yellow light whizzed by her head. Electricity crackled off of the weapon and shocked the side of Yang’s face. It burned, but it was just a graze. Her aura took the brunt of the electrical charge.

Yang charged forward. The girl’s weapon seemed to be best at range. If Yang could get close, the tide of the battle would turn in her favor. She followed the yellow light of the weapon back to it’s source and let loose a flurry of punches. The blows found their mark. Flesh and metal worked in tandem to lay down some serious punishment. Ilia’s aura weakened with each strike.

Ilia jumped back out of the range of Yang’s fists. She activated her lighting whip again and swept low for Yang’s legs. It was a move of desperation, an uncontrolled strike made in the hopes of scaring Yang into a tactical retreat. And, to get her far enough back so she could more efficiently fight.

There was no way Yang was going to let Ilia push her back. Yang’s eyes darted to the hilt of her opponent's weapon. Ilia was there. She lept over the lightning whip and dove toward the light of the weapon’s hit. Yang’s shoulder crashed into flesh, once again, but this time she wrapped her arms around the other girl in a tackle. They tumbled to the ground together.

Yang managed to crawl on top of Ilia. She found the girl’s wrists and pinned them tightly to the ground above her head. The faunus squirmed and kicked under the weight. It was nothing Yang couldn’t handle. No one was getting away from her just by flailing. The shape of the girl beneath her came into focus. Where her face should have been was only a grimm mask. It’s eyes glowed red. Yang recoiled. A phantom pain shot through her arm. _No_. Ilia wasn’t him. She wasn’t the man who took her arm. It was just a mask. There wasn’t anything to fear. The red glow dissipated. Yang relaxed. Ilia surged forward and slammed her mask into Yang’s face. It cracked under the force of the blow. Yang lost her grip on Ilia and fell backward.

The tables turned. Ilia pounced upon Yang. She lifted her whip high in the air and brought it down without hesitation. Yang caught Ilia’s hand in her cybernetic one. The faunus grunted and pushed her weapon harder towards Yang. The whip didn’t move even an inch closer. She wasn’t strong enough to overpower state of the art Atlas Tech. Yang squeezed, hard. Ilia’s scream covered the subtle snap of her finger bones. Yang ripped the weapon from the girl’s hand and threw it across the room. She tossed Ilia to the side and flipped on top of her again.

Yang pulled her fist back, preparing to deliver the finishing blow, but stopped short. Her hand hovered in the air, wavering. But, she didn’t know what to do next. This girl, Ilia, she wasn’t a creature of grimm. It was easy to fight and kill grimm. Grimm were the embodiment of pure evil in the world, not people. Ilia still had the potential for good, no matter how small. Yang didn’t think she could hurt her any more than she already had and live with herself - much less kill her. It wasn’t right. She wasn’t so bold to presume that she had the right to take any life.

But, it was for Blake. Yang could do it to protect the people she loved, and Blake was one of those people. It needed to be done. Their mission was too important to leave any loose ends. The muscles in Yang’s arm tensed. She would make it as painless and quick as she could.

Ilia bucked Yang off of her and sent her backwards with a swift kick to the gut.

Yang slid backward along the floor. She rolled and popped back up to her feet in a fighting stance. A frown tugged at her lips and she grit her teeth. She shouldn’t have hesitated. Ilia wasn’t a creature of grimm, but she would kill both of them without a second thought.

Ilia’s footsteps scurried across the room in the direction that Yang had thrown her weapon. Yang chased that sound.

“Yang! We’re done here!” Blake yelled from behind her.

Yang hesitated. Ilia needed to be taken out here and now. There was no telling what kind of threat she could pose to them in the future. Someone grabbed her by the arm. Yang turned on them with red eyes.

“Whoa, whoa.” Blake put her face close to Yang’s. “It’s me.”

A cracking sound pierced the air. Ilia’s whip came at them from across the room. Blake stepped between Yang and the incoming attack. With one fluid motion she pulled Gambol Shroud from its sheath and deflected the blow. Blake looked sadly in the direction from which the strike had come.

Yang stood at the ready. “Blake?”

Blake nodded toward the darkness. “Let’s go.”

Yang wasn’t about to question her partner’s decision. Ilia was, without a doubt, a threat, but she’d had enough excitement for one night. She sent one shot from Ember Celica to where Blake had signalled and the timber wall splintered and exploded away. Blake gripped Yang’s wrist tightly pulled her toward their exit.

Together they jumped from the building and ran back out into the darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have an awesome day, people!


	3. Skinship

Blake stood with her back rigid against the front door. Her chest heaved up and down. It wasn’t that she was tired; on the contrary, she felt full of vigor. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed the adrenaline rush of battle. The physical euphoria experienced in life or death situations was like nothing else in the world. A unbidden smile came to her lips.

She grit her teeth and pushed those thoughts from her mind. The important thing about the adrenaline was that it would make her sharper and more efficient. Pleasure shouldn’t even be part of the equation. There were more important issues to be addressed. Sienna was the first of those things, and now Blake knew where to find her.

“What are you smiling about?” Yang turned her head to look at Blake and smirked.

“I’m smiling?” Blake felt it now that Yang drew her attention to the grin on her face. She scowled at her own childishness. This was just one small step. There was nothing worth getting giddy over. Blake clutched the travel documents she’d found in one hand and squeezed Yang’s hand tightly in the other. She pulled her hand away quickly, feeling slightly flushed. When had she…? It was no matter.

Yang cocked an eyebrow at her partner.

Blake noticed Yang’s face. There was a burn on her cheek and two small lines of drying blood under her nose. She reached out to touch the burn, but stopped just before her fingers grazed Yang’s cheek. “Are you okay?”

“This? It’s nothing.” Yang waved Blake’s hand away and wiped her nose. “What matters is we found what we we’re looking for.” She smiled brightly.

“Right…” Blake could see it really was just a small injury, but it could’ve been much worse. If whatever attack that had caused had been just slightly more to the right, it would’ve blown Yang’s head straight off of her shoulders. She had been dangerously close to losing Yang tonight. Perhaps just as close as the night Beacon fell. Blake’s stomach rolled.

“You’re back!” Sun jogged over to them. “How’d it go? Find anything good?”

“Yes.” Blake opened the file and pulled out one document in particular and showed it to him. “Sienna Khan headed for Mistral about three months ago. There’s no telling if she’s still there...but we can at least try to pick up her trail.”

Ghira held out his hand. “Let me see that.” He read the document. The further his eyes moved down the page, the more his eyebrows furrowed.

Kali stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Blake. “I’m so glad you made it back safe.” Blake blushed and hugged her mom back.

Kali held her daughter at arms length. “You look pale. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Mom, I’m just tired.” Blake doubted her mother would believe her, but she also knew she wouldn’t push the subject while everyone else was around them.

Kali let go of her daughter and gave Yang a big hug, too. “Thank you, Yang. For taking care of Blake.”

“Anytime…” Yang didn’t answer back with her usual bravado. It was probably just exhaustion. She had gone toe to toe with Ilia mere minutes before. That would tire even the best of fighters.

Kali saw the red marks on Yang’s cheek. She lifted her hands and placed them under Yang’s chin. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Yang turned her head to the side so that Kali could get a better look at the wound. Kali examined the Yang’s cheek carefully with gentle hands and made some knowing motherly sounds. Yang flinched when her fingers pressed on the more tender parts of the wound.

“Mom! Be careful.” Blake’s outburst brought everyone’s eyes to her.

“Oh, she’s fine.” Kali assured Blake. “I’ll go grab some ointment for that burn.” She walked away with purpose in her step.

Ghira stroked his beard and cleared his throat. “So, you’re heading for the City of Mistral, then?”

“Yes.” Blake turned to her father. Her eyes burned with conviction.

“Alright!” Sun pumped the fist on his good side into the air. “Don’t worry Mr. B, I know Mistral like the back of my hand. Your daughter will be in safe hands with me by her side.”

“That…” Ghira’s shoulders drooped and he gave Blake a questioning look. “Are you really going to bring him?”

Blake chuckled. “Yes, Dad. Sun’s right. It’ll be good to have someone who knows the lay of the land with us. Besides, he’s not too bad in a fight.” That was as close as she would come to admitting she needed Sun. She still wished he hadn’t gotten involved, but he was committed. It pained her to admit that it was safer for them to stick together. And that included Yang, too.

Sun whooped and held up his hand up to Ghira for a high five. Blake’s father stood stoically with his arms crossed. Yang stepped in and gave him his high five. He seemed thrilled to have someone - anyone - to share in his excitement.

Yang stretched her arms into the air and tilted back. “This all sounds good and well, but I’d be happy with a hot bath and a soft bed for now.”

“I think we can provide both of those things.” Kali walked back up and handed Yang a small balm jar. “Put this on your burn after your bath.”

“Thanks, Kali.” Yang opened the jar and sniffed the contents. “This smells way too good to be medicine.”

“Wait a minute…” Sun looked displeased. “How are you two on a first name basis already!?”

“Sun…” Blake fought the urge to smack Sun upside the head.

Yang threw her arm around Kali’s shoulder and held up her metal fist. “Pound it.”

“Oh...okay.” Kali hit Yang’s fist with her own. Yang made it explode. She winked at Sun and went on to explain the finer points of the fist bumping to Kali.

Blake was floored. She knew Yang well enough to expect her silliness on a very regular basis, but right after she was almost killed? That seemed a bit excessive. There was no way she could view her life with such frivolity. She must have realized how close she came to not coming back with her tonight.

“Alright, one more time.” Yang held out her fist and Kali bumped it. They both pulled their hands back in unison for the fist bump explosion. “There we go!” Yang put her hands on her hips and looked over at Blake.

“What?” Yang blinked and tilted her head to the side.

“It’s nothing.” Blake shook her head. They’d have plenty of time to talk in private about exactly what was bothering her. She sighed. “I’ll show you to the bath.”

“Finally!” Yang linked her arm into Blake’s. “Let’s go!”

* * *

 

“Wow!” Yang stood with her hands on her hips in the doorway of the Belladonna's very large indoor bath. She whistled. “Well, this is swanky! You could fit, like, ten people! No wonder you and Weiss get along. You both grew up in the lap of luxury.”

“Weiss and I had very different childhoods - don’t go blindly comparing us!” Blake snapped. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight. It made her very uncomfortable having her life compared to the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company in any way. Besides, their bath wasn’t all that special. Most faunus on Menagerie had one that was comparable in size. It needed to be that large with community bathing being so commonplace.

Yang shut the door and turned toward Blake. “Sorry. I was just messing around.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry, too. I’m just a little on edge after tonight...” Blake ran her hand through her hair. She cleared her throat. “Anyway, it’s really not that lavish considering it’s designed to be used by multiple people at once.”

“Oh, right! Faunus have baths together as part of their culture. I remember reading about it once.” Yang unbuttoned her jacket and threw it into one of the clothes baskets Blake had shown her when they first came into the bathroom. Her shirt immediately followed and she moved onto unzipping her boots. She hopped closer to the basket on one foot while she removed her first boot.

Blake turned on her heels, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment. “Enjoy your bath.” Yang had a habit of doing this a Beacon, too, but Blake never got accustomed to it. Even though she grew up bathing with her family and friends, it still made her very uncomfortable to be in the same room with someone naked.

“Where’re you going? Aren’t you going to take a bath?” Yang’s pants hit the ground.

“I can wait until you’re finished.” Blake’s words came out in a rush.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Yang plopped her pants on top of the rest of her clothes in a heap. “Didn’t you just say the bath was designed to be used by more than one person at a time?”

“Well yes…” Blake glanced back at Yang. She stood in the middle of the changing room wearing nothing but her bra and underwear. The beginnings of a large bruise covered her abdomen in a red and purple tint. Another wound she had gotten in Blake’s defense. Blake’s eyes fell on Yang’s prosthetic arm. The bright yellow stood in stark contrast to her pale skin. It was hard to look at, but simultaneously, it transfixed her. It was such an obvious reminder of that tragic day. Blake felt for Yang. It had to be even harder for her. The thing was now a part of her. It was something she couldn't escape, a constant reminder of everything they had lost. Blake realized she was staring and averted her gaze from the arm.

Yang didn’t seem to notice where Blake’s eyes had landed. “Then, come on! Besides,” She smiled smugly. “It’s not like I’ve never seen you naked.”

Blake blushed. They had lived in that dorm room for over a year together. She had always tried to be very careful about where and when she changed. At first, it had been to make sure none of them caught a glimpse of her cat ears, but it was also out of modesty. Still, there had no doubt been a few times, towards the end of their time at Beacon, when she had been a little more lax. All of Team RWBY had probably seen her naked a few times. Blake rolled her eyes. She had nothing to be modest about with Yang at this point, anyway. “Alright.”

Blake walked over to one of the clothes baskets and undressed.

Yang looked down into the palm of her cybernetic hand. “It’s frightening, isn’t it?”

So, she had noticed Blake’s staring. Shit. “No! Of course not!” Blake’s words seemed to have little effect on Yang. And they had no effect on how Blake felt about the arm, either. She was accepting it, slowly, but seeing the thing still made her skin crawl. It was unnatural.

Yang rummaged through her clothes and pulled out her flask. She took a swig and tossed it back into the basket. Her nostrils flared. “You don’t have to lie to me, Blake.” Yang unfastened her bra and deposited on top of the flask and removed her underwear while she was at it. The last thing she removed was the arm. She placed it carefully on top of everything.

“I’m sorry.” Blake meant it, but it didn’t seem sufficient after everything that had happened.

“What for?”

“For…” There was so much to be sorry for - Yang losing her arm, leaving Yang after the fall of Beacon. And those were just the big things. Blake had made so many mistakes and Yang had suffered because of them. Blake couldn’t change what she had done in the past, but she would change going forward into the future. No more running. Her voice broke with emotion, but she forced the shaky words out anyway, because they needed to be said. “For everything.”

“‘I’m sorry’ isn’t going to cut it ‘for everything.’” Yang’s voice was hard. She turned away from Blake and walked toward the door leading to the bath.

That was it. Yang wasn’t going to forgive her. It wasn’t as if she deserved Yang’s forgiveness, but, she had hoped for it. Blake bit her lip and tears streamed down her cheeks. She had been so foolish. It was too much to expect forgiveness after she had abandoned Yang - even if her reasons had been noble.

“But,” Yang looked back and winked at Blake. “It’s a good start.”

The weight that had crashed down on Blake a moment before floated away. It wasn’t replaced by a sense of calm or understanding, though. Blake’s eyebrow twitched. She grabbed the closest empty basket and chucked it at Yang’s head. Yang brought her hand up and caught it. She laughed. It was a beautiful sound. One that Blake missed more than she realized until just now.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Blake turned away. She was equally endeared to and infuriated by Yang. She couldn’t wrap her head around how one person could trigger such opposite emotions in her at the same time. It was maddening.

* * *

 

Yang sunk deeper down into the water and sighed. She submerged her head completely and let the heat of the water seep into every fiber of her being. Her cheek stung, but the more she relaxed, the less she noticed the pain. Today had been such a roller coaster. Yang was glad it was nearly done with and she could finally rest. She stayed under as long as her lungs would permit, then surfaced, gulping in the air hungrily.

Blake sat across from her, one arm slung languidly over the edge of the bath, her fingers tracing lines on top of the water. She hadn’t spoken to - or even looked at Yang - since following her into the bath. Her face looked hard as stone. Yang knew she had hit a nerve by not accepting her apology outright, but why should she? Carefree as she was, Yang needed answers from Blake before she was willing to give her forgiveness. She didn’t want to see her partner suffer, but Blake needed to know how much she had hurt her. Otherwise, what would stop her from pulling the same kind of stunt in the future.

“So, where are Ruby and Weiss?” Blake broke her silence.

“Oh ho! She speaks!” Yang chortled. She hadn’t expected Blake to break her silence so soon, or at all for that matter. Blake’s cat ears flattened to her head and she scowled. “But seriously,” Yang quickly changed her tone. This wasn’t a joking matter. “I have no idea.”

“What?” Blake’s head jerked in Yang’s direction. She was clearly startled by this information, or lack thereof.

“Yeah, Ruby was headed to Mistral...she may even be there now. And Weiss...she’s probably back in Atlas. I heard her father came for her shortly after Beacon fell.” Most of what Yang knew about her teammates was hearsay. She hadn’t been conscious when Weiss was taken and she hardly spoke to Ruby after the Fall of Beacon even though they were both living back at home for several weeks before Ruby left with the remaining members of team JNPR for Mistral.

“But, she hates her father - why would she go back with him?” Blake asked.

“I think she was in too much shock to resist…none of us were really in our right minds then.” Yang didn’t feel like she was in her right mind, even now, over a year later. Too much had been lost for any of them to go back to being who they had been before, and some of them would likely never be the same again. Yang counted herself as part of the latter category.

“Yeah.” Blake wrapped her arms across her chest and looked to the side. “That was...a hard time for us all.”

Blake had never been the best with words. This was a prime example. Calling the Battle for Beacon, and its subsequent fall, a “hard time” was just a bit of an understatement, but Yang knew what her partner way trying to say. Their lives had crashed down around them in an instant. It was still hard to swallow, and practically impossible to talk about. And when they did talk about it, they never seemed to find the right words.

Blake looked Yang dead in the eye. A frown pulled hard at her lips. She averted her eyes a second before she spoke. “I miss Beacon.”

Yang was caught off guard by her candidness. She smiled softly at her partner. “Yeah...me, too.” Blake snuck a look at Yang out of the corner of her eye. Yang wanted that carefree life back. That alone was worth fighting for, and helping Blake get the White Fang back under her family’s control would be a big step back in that direction. They would help make the world peaceful again - for herself, for Blake, and for everyone. Yang knew it. She wouldn’t let anyone or anything get in the way of that mission.

Again, there was silence. Yang let it be. She saw the way Blake’s lower lip quivered. It was how she always got when she was on the verge of tears. She always did her best to hold in her emotions. If she’d let them go from time to time, they might be easier to handle.

Yang still wanted answers. The sooner she got them, the better she would feel. What had happened couldn't be changed, but Yang still needed to know why - why Blake left her. Yang hoped knowing would be enough to set her down the path toward genuine forgiveness. She waited for Blake to get a hold of whatever emotions were bothering her. Blake’s lip steadied. It was as good a time as ever to address the Goliath in the room.

“Hey.” Yang softly got Blake’s attention. Blake tilted her head and glanced over at Yang, but said nothing. “So...why did you leave?”

“Yang...I…” Blake shuddered and looked away.

Yang tried to be patient. She had waited so long for this explanation - what were a few more seconds for Blake to organize her thoughts? Blake’s silence rang loud in Yang’s ears. Yang had so much she needed to say. She had to let her feelings out before they consumed her. They bursted forth, unceremoniously, and desperately. “I needed you, Blake! And you left me! You left me broken and -” Yang’s tears flowed freely and her voice grew hoarse. “And useless...I…” Yang took a deep breath and stopped herself. She wiped her eyes. This wasn’t fair to Blake. She deserved Yang’s understanding, not her anger. “Sorry, go ahead.”

Blake stood and walked over to Yang. She sat next to her, so close that their shoulders touched. “Yang,” Blake started, her hands fidgeting uncontrollably. Her eyes stayed locked on her twisting and twirling fingers. “I know this is going to sound...counterintuitive...but, I left to protect you.”

Yang nodded. Under no circumstance could she imagine Blake leaving as something that could have been helpful, but she’d give her partner the benefit of the doubt. That was the least she could do.

Blake waited. When Yang said nothing, she cleared her throat and continued. “I was so scared Adam would find you. He wants to destroy everything I love...leaving was the only way to show him I didn’t care about you. I swear, I didn’t want to leave you. I’ve thought of you - and our team - everyday since I left!”

Yang pursed her lips. She didn’t like it. Blake’s fears alone explained her actions, but why would a high ranking member of the White Fang be so dead set on the suffering of a single huntress-in-training? Either Blake’s fears were unfounded and blown way out of proportion, or there had to be a lot more to the story that Blake wasn’t telling her. “What did you do to that guy to piss him off so much?”

“I…” Blake stared off into space.

“Blake?” Yang nudged her partner.

“He was my...everything…” Blake turned around and rested her elbows on the lip of the bath. “We were partners..lovers...and I left him.”

Yang stared at Blake’s back. Awestruck. It wasn’t often Yang found herself at a loss for words. Blake told her more about herself in those few words than she had shared with her in all of their time together at Beacon. Blake? In love? And with that psychopath, of all people. That was hard to imagine. Yang’s urge to protect her partner grew tenfold.

When Yang found the right words, she spoke up. “So he’s the one who was dear to you and changed.”

“Yes.” Blake’s shoulders slumped and she sighed. She placed her forehead down on the lip of the bath.

Yang spun around and placed her arm on the lip of the bath, too. She shifted closer until their elbows touched and glanced over at her partner. “I’m sorry.”

Blake lay her head on her arms and turned her head so she was looking at Yang. “Why? It’s not your fault.”

“Well, yeah, but I don’t want to see you suffer either.” There was no way to express those particular feelings without sounding cheesy. Yang decided to just roll with it. Honesty was the best policy, after all.

The slightest twinge of a smile formed on Blake’s lips. She scooted even closer to Yang and rested her head on the blond’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

Yang’s cheeks suddenly felt warmer than the water in which she was bathing. Her heart fluttered. “Anytime.” She would always be there for Blake. Until her dying breath.

“I’m glad you found me.”

Yang tilted her head to the side until it met her partner’s. “Me, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the feels! Thoughts?


	4. Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> The next several chapters will be shorts. Instead of slogging through all the boring travel time, I'm going to pick and choose the more interesting moments on the team's journey to Mistral.
> 
> The good news is that I'll update twice a week until I get back to longer chapters - enjoy!

“Are you sure you’ll be safe here?” Blake looked across the table at her parents hopefully. She had lost count of how many times she’d asked this same question of her parents in the last few days. This was their last chance to change their minds. She hoped they’d do just that, but doubted she could persuade them to leave their home.

“Yes, Sweetheart.” Kali picked up the teapot and poured herself a fresh cup. “Your father and I think it’s best we stay here. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

Blake knew this was true. Her parents were strong - stronger than your average hunter or huntress. But, the threat they faced now was more dangerous than anything they’d gone up against in the past. Blake would feel better if they would just join them in Mistral. At least then she could try and keep them safe.

“I’ve seen my fair share of battles. I’ll keep your mother safe.” Ghira didn’t even try to hide his pride.

Kali laughed and shot her husband a playful glance. “I can handle myself, Dear. And if I recall our fighting days clearly, I saved you on more than one occasion.”

Ghira cleared his throat and his cheeks flared red for a split second. “Indeed.”

Blake smiled at the two of them. A lump formed in her throat. She had only just gotten back and now she had to leave again. At least she’d had this small amount of time to reconnect. They would have more time in the future, after the White Fang was back in their control. She would make sure of that. But, there was no telling how long that would take.

“The boat is leaving soon.” Sun stood and swung a light bag over his shoulder.

 Yang got to her feet and stood by his side. She adjusted her backpack and smiled at Sun. “Says the master stowaway.”

 “You know it!” Sun put his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out.

 “I don’t know if that’s something to be _that_ proud of…” Yang rolled her eyes.

 Blake silently wiped away the wetness forming in the corners of her eyes. She tried to hide her tears, but it was no use - everyone saw.

 “If anything happens,” Yang added. “Head to Patch. My father will help you.”

 “Thank you, Yang.” Ghira pushed himself from the ground and walked over to Yang. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Lets hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Blake took a deep breath. She let it all out, and then stood. This would all be easier to deal with once she was on the boat. At least then she’d be on her way. Goodbyes were always so hard. That’s why she usually dipped out on them. She had promised herself she was going to change going forward, though, and that meant giving her parents a proper farewell. They deserved that much.

Ghira walked over to Kali and offered her a hand up. She took it and the two of them stood waiting in front of Blake.

Blake took a step towards them and cleared her throat. She looked from Kali to Ghira and then held them both in her steady gaze. “Mom...Dad...just be careful.” Blake rubbed her arm and looked away. This was too hard. Her chest tightened and she he felt more tears welling up behind her eyes.

 Out of the corner of her eye, Blake saw Yang smile at her and give her two thumbs up. She didn’t even have to use words to be encouraging. Sun gave her a supportive nod, too. They both knew her well. _Too well._ Blake worked hard to keep others at arm's length, and yet, here she was -  about to start a dangerous journey with the two people who understood her most in life. They gave her the courage to do what was right.

 Blake turned back to her parents and rushed forward into their arms, and gently, those loving arms enveloped her. “I love you both so much.”

 “We love you too, Blake.” Kali stroked Blake’s hair and whispered assurances to her daughter about how they would see each other soon and that everything was going to be fine.

 Ghira squeezed both his daughter and wife tightly. “Make sure you get enough sleep and eat a hearty meal every night to keep your strength up. Oh, and don’t forget to clean your weapon well after every battle and -”  

 Blake cut him off with a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad. I think I’ve got all of that covered.”

 “Right, of course.” He pat his daughter on the back. “Off you go, then. Safe travels. We’ll hold down the homefront.”

 Blake looked over at Sun and Yang. It was time to go, and she needed their help in moving this goodbye along. They took the hint.  

Sun jumped in and gave Kali a big hug. “Bye, Mrs. B!”

Kali laughed. “Goodbye, Sun.”

Yang waited until their hug was over, then pulled Kali into a fierce bear hug. “Thank you so much for everything. I promise to take good care of your daughter.”

Sun opened his arms toward Ghira to try and get him in on the hugging action.

“No.” Ghira said like someone scolding a bad puppy.

Yang dropped Kali. She moved to where Ghira stood glaring at Sun, got up on the tips of her toes, and wrapped her arms around both of their shoulders. “Oh come on! Just hug it out, guys.” The three of them shared a group hug. Blake and Kali giggled from the sidelines. When they parted, Ghira looked slightly annoyed. But, he was smiling - so the hug couldn’t have been all that bad.

Yang linked her arm in Blake’s and turned back to Blake’s parents with a wave. “Bye!” She pulled Blake toward the door.

Blake didn’t need more incentive than that. Her shoulders relaxed and her feet carried her toward the front door. She didn’t even need to change direction. Yang handled all of the steering.

 Sun jogged ahead and opened the door. He waved back toward the Belladonnas emphatically. “See ya!”

 Blake grit her teeth and let her silent tears fall. She kept walking. There was no way she could turn around and let her Mom and Dad see her. Yang’s hold on her arm tightened a bit. It was good to know Yang was there supporting her every step of the way.

 “You did good.” Yang whispered in Blake’s ear.

Blake facepalmed. The tears kept flowing. “Thanks…”


	5. Tea Time

Blake wasn’t the type to get bored easily, but she had also never stowed away in the hold of ship before. There was literally nothing to do. She could reread the only book she had brought,  but since she finished it for the fourth time - in just as many days - that morning, reading didn’t sound like something that would cure her of her soul crushing boredom. There was always Yang. She was good for conversation. Right now she was sleeping, though. Blake didn’t want to bother her since she would have to be up all night on watch. And Sun? Blake looked around. He was nowhere to be seen.

There was no reason for him to not be here. “Sun?” Blake called out softly in the hopes that he would appear from behind some of the towering stacks of cargo. _Nothing._ He must have dozed off. She didn’t blame him. There wasn’t anything else to do in this place.

Blake yawned. If they were both sleeping, she should stay awake. Her eyelids drooped. She fought hard against the urge to drift off into slumber.

“Hey.”

Blake jumped and her hand flew to the hilt of Gambol Shroud. Sun’s blue eyes stared back at her, unblinking. He smiled.

Blake recoiled from his closeness. “Arg - Sun! Don’t scare me like that.”

“Sorry.” He laughed and spun around to sit next to her. He motioned to the teapot he was holding. “Tea?” Sun didn’t wait for her answer. He placed two cups on the ground in front of them and filled each cup to its brim.

Blake sighed. “Where did you get this?” She cocked an eyebrow, but picked up one of the cups nonetheless. A nice hot cup of tea was just what she needed. She just hadn’t realized it until she saw the steam rising from the hot liquid.

Sun winked and held up a peace sign. “Stole it from the kitchen -”

“Sun! What if -” Blake protested, but Sun continued talking over her.

“And before you ask - nobody saw me.”

“Good.” Blake held the cup of tea up to her nose and breathed in the vapors. A content sigh escaped her lips. It was black tea - her favorite, but Sun couldn’t have known. She tilted the cup towards her lips and savored the first sip. Blake smiled. If nothing else, being shut in here made her appreciate the simpler pleasures in life.

Sun beamed at her and took a sip out of his cup. “What do you think?”

“It’s good. Thank you, Sun. I really needed this.” Blake could feel her shoulders relaxing as she spoke. A good cup of tea was the best medicine anyone could ask for.

“Glad you like it.” He stared at her for a moment and then quickly shifted his gaze to the contents of his cup.

Blake took another sip. This was how they had first met -  not met exactly - but it was how they had spent the first few days of their friendship. Silently drinking tea together up on the balcony of that cafe. The White Fang were on her mind then, too. Back then, she would never have imagined being here - stowing away on a boat headed for Mistral to take back the White Fang. So much changed in just two years. As hard as the last two years had been, Blake had a sinking feeling that the next two would be even harder. And the years after that? It was too hard to guess where this fight would take her. And Sun. And Yang…

They continued to drink together in silence. Blake stayed lost in her thoughts until she tried to take a sip from her empty cup. Her eyes flickered upward and met Sun’s questioning gaze. “Yes?”

“Nothing!” Sun answered with a start. He always seemed so jumpy. “More tea?” He grabbed the handle of the teapot with his tail.

“Sure.” Blake held out her cup and Sun filled it to the top again.

“So…” Sun scratched the back of his head. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m -” Blake squeezed her tea cup to her chest. “I’m doing alright.” Her answer was honest. There wasn’t much she could do from the hold of a passenger liner. She couldn’t allow herself to get stressed out thinking about the future. It was best to stay calm and keep her head on straight. That way when the real fight came - she’d be ready.

“Good.” Sun sipped on his tea and shot an amused look at Blake out of the corner of his eye. “Not letting the boredom get to you too much?”

Blake’s shoulders slumped. What she that easy to read? “Trying not to…” She laughed lightly. “Do you really enjoy stuff like this?”

Sun set his cup down and stretched his hands and legs out. He pulled his legs back into a cross legged position and relaxed his hands into his lap. “Of course! It’s...peaceful. And now - well - I get the feeling this is that last bit of peace we’ll get in quite a while. It might be a little boring, but we should enjoy it while we can.”

Blake nodded. Sun was right. Boredom was a small price to pay for the peace of this place. Peace was, by its very nature, boring. But, it made time for moments like this. Simple conversations between friends. _Happiness._ This was the very world she was trying to create. Suddenly, she no longer felt bored. A deep sense of conviction replaced that feeling.

“Thank you, Sun.”

Sun cocked an eyebrow. “What for?”

Blake set her hard gaze forward. “For reminding me what I’m fighting for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sun and Blake's friendship needs a little love, too! Next chapter will have more Blake and Yang!


	6. Kill Or Be Killed

Blake leaned back on the crates she had made into her makeshift bed. It was her turn to take watch tonight, so she needed sleep. The constant rocking of the ship made that nearly impossible. They must have hit a storm because the ship’s swaying was more intense than usual. Every time her eyelids fell, the ship jerked and startled her into wakefulness. Blake grumbled and sat up. There wasn’t any point in trying to sleep any longer. She’d just have to be tired during her watch. Things could be worse.

Sun had dozed off against some crates. How he could sleep through all of the violent swaying was a mystery to her. It must be his master stowaway skills.

Yang, too, was reclined against the crates, but she wasn’t sleeping. Her arms were crossed across her chest and her eyes were glazed, staring off into the ceiling.

Blake jumped down to the floor and walked over to her. “Hey.”

Yang’s eyes darted to Blake and refocused. A tired smile graced her lips. “Hey.”

Blake sat next to her partner. “You doing okay?” She didn’t really know why she even asked. It was Yang - of course she was fine. Yang had a certain resilience. If anything she must be bored out of her mind. There wasn’t any fun or excitement to be had cooped up in the hold of a ship.

Yang just looked at Blake and sighed. “Not really...no.”

Blake hadn’t been expecting that. She leaned forward and looked over to study Yang’s face. Yang didn’t meet her gaze. “What is it?”

“It’s…” Yang paused. She didn’t seem to want to talk about whatever was bothering her. “It’s about Ilia.”

Blake was taken aback. What did Yang care about Ilia? “What about her?”

“You never told me how you know her…”

“No. I didn’t.” Blake didn’t know why she was being so standoffish. She’d already told Yang about Adam. There were no deeper secrets to tell her. It must’ve just been habit. It wasn’t easy to stop herself from being closed off when that’s how she had survived for so long.

“So?” Yang probed for more information.

“There isn’t much to tell, Yang.” Blake shook her head. “We grew up together - fought for the White Fang together. I left, and she didn’t.” There was, of course, more to tell, but none of it was all that interesting. It was best to leave it at that.

Yang clenched her prosthetic hand into a fist. “We - we might have to kill her, you know?”

“I know…” Blake crossed her arms and closed her eyes. _Ilia._ It was her own choice to stay with the White Fang. Ilia should have defected when she heard that was what Blake had done. It still shocked her that she had stayed. Ilia had always been a strict adherent to the White Fang’s peaceful methods. She had been even more adverse to the violence than Blake when it first started. Had her own beliefs changed so much? It was hard to argue with the results that violence brought to their cause, but for Ilia to be swayed - there must have been something else. Something more important than her pacifistic views. It was quite the quandary.

“And you’re...okay with that?” Yang’s voice was strained.

“Yes.” She wasn’t really fine, but she needed to put on a strong face for Yang.

Yang looked at Blake with a hint of indignance. “How many people have you killed?”

Blake’s heart rate spiked. “None!”

Sun stirred. He mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and rolled over.

Blake waited for Sun to go still. “None” wasn’t exactly true. Blake’s palms grew sweaty. She clenched her hands into fists, trying to ignore the sensation. It had started with all of those “accidents,” and then turned to “self defense.” She had gone into those situations knowing full well she would be facing up against real people. Her blade may never have drawn blood, but she still killed them. There was no way to deny that facts in hindsight. Blake wrung her hands together. “When the White Fang turned violent it was chaotic - I know my actions aided in the deaths of many people. I...try not to think about it.”

“Understandable.” Yang squirmed. “I wouldn’t want to think about something like that either.”

Blake frowned. She was thinking about it now, though. She hadn’t wanted to have a hand in all of that death. If only she’d seen what was happening with the White Fang sooner. The people who died because of her actions, and inactions, might have died without her participation. There were plenty of members of that White Fang who were more than willing to kill a human or two to accomplish their mission, after all. But, what if she could’ve done something different - something that would’ve saved lives, instead of end them? Blake’s chest grew tight and she struggled for air. It was too late to change the past, but that didn’t stop the memories from haunting her.

And, now, here she was - willing to kill to achieve her own personal goals. Suddenly, she didn’t feel all that different from the White Fang - from Sienna, or from Adam. Deep down she knew that wasn’t the case. They were different. _Very different._ She wanted to build a better, more peaceful, world for everyone - not just the faunus. But, if she was willing to go to such lengths - was it worth it? Blake knew her answer - yes. What if Yang’s was different? Yang didn’t strike her as the type of person where the end justified the means. She needed to make sure someone kept her honest, and who better than her partner?

“Listen, Yang, this isn’t going to be easy, and we’ll definitely have to make some hard choices. I don’t _want_ to kill anybody, but it _will_ become necessary. Just - let me know if I don’t make the right call...I don’t want to risk falling down the wrong path again…” Blake feared failing in her mission, but more than that, she feared she’d become a monster like Adam in pursuit of her goal. Adam was the strongest person she knew, and he had lost his soul to power. There was nothing saying that same thing couldn’t happen to her.

Yang’s smile assured Blake that everything would be alright. The blond huntress nudged her partner playfully with her elbow. “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back. I’ll make sure you don’t do anything too dumb.”

From Yang’s tone, Blake figured their serious conversation was now over. She was more than fine with going along with the change in mood. It was better than mulling over the deaths of innocent people. She rolled her eyes. “My hero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love and support, people! You all are the best!


	7. Know When to Hold'em

“Ha! You’ve activated my trap card!” Yang emphatically threw two cards onto the ground.

“Yang, we’re playing poker…” Sun picked up her discarded cards and gave her two new ones from the deck.

“I know. I know. I just haven’t gotten the chance to say that in forever.” Yang laughed and took the cards Sun had dealt her. Her tongue stuck out of the side of her mouth as she organized her hand. It still wasn’t a good hand - a pair of threes with a ten as her high card. Since it was only her and Sun, it wasn’t like she could bluff. 

Sun discard one card.

Crap. There was no way she had a better hand than him this time. They laid their hands out. Sun beat her with three sevens. Yang shrugged and picked up the cards. “Can’t win ‘em all.” She shuffled them riffle style. After the fifth shuffle Sun cleared his throat.

“So...you and Blake?”

Yang cocked an eyebrow at him and kept shuffling. “What about us?”

Sun turned red. “Oh, you know - it seems like the two of you have gotten closer lately…” He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

“Does it?” Yang finished shuffling and dealt each of them five cards. She wasn’t totally oblivious to what he was implying; she just chose to ignore it. Mostly because her relationship with Blake wasn’t what Sun thought it was, but also because it was pretty amusing to see Sun get himself all worked up into a tizzy. 

“Well, yeah. I mean it seems like the two of you are attached at the hip recently.” Sun picked up his cards and organized them.

Yang did the same. Her hand was much better this time around - only one card away from a flush. She peaked over the top of her cards at Sun. “We’re stuck in a tiny cargo hold - I think we’re all pretty attached right now. There isn’t anywhere else to go.” 

“You know what I meant.” Sun grumbled and threw down his entire hand. 

Yang eyed the mess of cards. “Seriously?” 

“Yeah, it was nothing but crap.”

“Okay, then.” Yang dealt him five new cards. 

Blake. A sad smile formed on her lips. It’s not like she didn’t want that sort of relationship with her, On the contrary, she loved Blake and wanted their friendship and partnership to bloom into something more intense. It just isn’t in the cards right now. Yang chuckled at her own stream of consciousness. She just needed to wait for the right time to tell Blake how she felt. Her stomach knotted up. With the world going to hell, would there ever be a “right time?” Yang hadn’t considered that possibility. If there was going to be a “right time,” it probably wouldn’t be for a while. 

Sun picked them up. “So you two aren’t...you know?” 

Yang lost her patience with him. Her eyes went from violet to red. “No, Sun. We aren’t. Now, will you just focus on the damn game!?” It was less losing patience with him and more anger at herself for thinking Blake would even be open to the idea of romance in the midst of all of this chaos. Still, Yang thought, Blake had gotten very close in the bath...maybe she was more open to - no. Yang didn’t want to get bogged down in those thoughts. Not right now. 

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Sun hid his face behind his cards. He seemed genuinely surprised by Yang’s answer. 

Yang discarded the single card that didn’t match suit with the rest of her hand and picked up one card from the top of the deck. It was exactly what she needed. Sun would be hardpressed to beat her flush. They went through one more round of discarding. Sun gave up three more cards, and Yang - of course - held onto all of the cards in her hand. When they revealed their hands, it was no surprise to Yang that she beat his pair of nines with her flush. Sun picked up the cards and shuffled.

Yang pushed herself from the floor. “I think I’m good for the day.”

“You sure?” Sun stopped shuffling. He looked up at her with furrowed brows. 

“Yeah.” Yang stretched her arms into the air. A workout was in order. That would clear her head. She looked over to where Blake had fallen asleep, and was surprised to find the faunus’ tired eyes on her. Yang and Sun no doubt woke her with their shenanigans. Yang’s cheeks flushed. She turned around, hoping Blake hadn’t heard the whole exchange. 

Sun shrugged, finished shuffling, and laid the cards out for a game of solitar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. I needed to have a chapter with Yang and Sun playing poker. Haha.


	8. Stargazing

Yang leaned back on her hands. She took a deep breath of the sea air. It was crisp and clean - nothing like the stale air in the cargo hold. She looked up at the night sky. It was bright. There wasn’t a single cloud covering the stunning scene above her. The stars were mesmerizing. Yang could stare at them forever and never grow tired. Her life was just a small piece of everything. It wasn’t a bad thing to feel small every now and again. She was small, but not insignificant. That distinction was important to Yang. Her eyes and smile grew brighter. Life was all about enjoying these simple moments. It had taken her quite a while to regain this mindset after losing her arm, but now that it was back she intended to revel in all the little things that life had to offer.

Yang got tired of craning her head backward. She relaxed onto her back. The metal of the ship’s roof was cold and made her shiver. After a moment, her body got accustomed to the cold and it didn’t bother her in the slightest. Her eyes shifted slowly from star to star. They were all familiar to her. Yang was so enthralled with the universe sprawled out above her that she didn’t hear the footsteps slowly approaching her.

“Hey.” Blake came into Yang’s field of vision. The faunus looked down at her with just a hint of a smile on her lips.

Yang wished for nothing more than to freeze this moment in time - then she remembered that she could. It had been so long since she’d used her scroll to take a picture, she’d almost forgotten that it could. Yang pulled her scroll from her pocket and snapped a photo. Blake amongst the stars. Yang smiled. That was an image she’d treasure forever.

Blake laughed. “What was that for?”

“Posterity.” Yang shoved the scroll back into her pocket.

“Mhm…” Blake rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t fade. A clear sign that she liked the joke.

Yang sat up and pat the spot next to her. Blake sat, but she didn’t stop there - she stretched out fully and laid on her back, looking up at the sky.

Yang was quick to follow her partner. She looked over at the girl by her side and her heart skipped a beat.

Blake’s face was calm. There was an air of softness about her. Her walls were always up so high, but tonight felt different. Yang couldn’t help but let her eyes wander from Blake’s face to her chest rising and falling evenly and back up again - where her eyes rested on Blake’s pale, pink lips. Those lips were more tempting than they’d ever been. It would be so easy and simple to lean over and - Yang tore her eyes away before her temptation drove her to do something foolish. She looked back to the sky. It seemed duller than before. They were still the same stars, but they didn’t hold a candle to the beauty next to her. Yang’s face got hot.

“I never took you for the stargazing type.” Blake said. Her normally matter-of-fact tone was replaced by a much warmer one.

“There’s a stargazing ‘type?’” Yang shot back playfully. She tried hard to sound like her normal self even though her insides were twirling around excitedly.

“Quiet, contemplative-”

Yang propped herself up on her elbow and leaned toward her partner. “Bookish, serious, goes by the name Blake Belladonna?”

“Yes.” Blake said and smirked. “Someone like that. But, that’s not to say that someone loud, spontaneous, carefree, and named Yang Xiao Long couldn’t also enjoy stargazing.”

“Damn right.”

Then they were quiet. It was a comfortable silence. Yang didn’t even think there was such a thing, but the way the two of them were now changed her mind. It was then that she knew - she would never need more than this to be happy. Her. Blake. And the stars above. Corny, yes. True? Absolutely.

Yang laid back down and placed her hand - her real hand - over Blake’s. The other girl flinched, but didn’t pull away. For a moment, everything felt right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel the (slow)burn!


	9. Arrival

Yang plopped down on the bed at the far side of the room. She sighed contentedly - a real bed! The past couple weeks had been hard on her body. She woke up everyday on that ship feeling like she had battled a hundred grimm the day before. Her body was that sore. It would take more than one night on a soft bed to take away the aches and pains from sleeping on those hard, wooden crates in the cargo hold, but tonight would still be heavenly.

Sun was lying face down on the other bed, his arms outstretched as if he was trying to give the bed a hug. Yang laughed. That was exactly how she felt, too. 

Blake had her back turned to them. She was too busy looking out the window to notice what either of them were doing. The past few days, she had been particularly morose. It was probably best to leave her alone and let her work through her feelings on her own. But, that wasn’t Yang style at all. 

Yang sat up and crossed her legs on the bed. “How about a victory drink?”

Sun mumbled something unintelligible into the pillows. 

Yang leaned back on her hands and tilted her head in his direction. “What?” 

Sun curled up on his side and looked over at Yang. “I’m too tired for that. And this bed - it’s so comfy!” He grabbed one of the pillows by his head and hugged it close to his body. 

“What victory?” Blake asked dryly. Her amber eyes darted back at Yang for an instant, then returned to whatever was outside the window. 

Yang didn’t take Blake’s irritability to heart. It was just one of her partner's quirks. 

“Hey,” Yang’s voice was sharp. It was the same one she always used when scolding Ruby. “Getting to Anima is a victory in itself. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.” Yang watched Blake closely, waiting for some kind of reaction showing that her words had hit home.

Blake’s eyes narrowed. She grabbed the curtains and snapped them shut. “I’ll need to get a lot more done before I’m willing to even celebrate the “small” victories.”

“All right.” Yang pushed herself off the bed and headed for the door. “You’re going to lose steam really fast with an attitude like that, though.” Blake needed to appreciate all the little steps leading to their final goal. She might not understand right away, but if Yang could plant that seed, they would have a much easier time of things. Easy. Not exactly easy. Fun? Not that either. Yang smirked to her own lack of understanding. These were her feelings; shouldn’t she be able make sense of them? That was something she’d had a hard time with since losing the person she used to be - along with her arm. 

One thing Yang was sure of was this - their mission to take back control of the White Fang had already consumed her entire life. That wasn’t going to change anytime soon, and in spite of the dangers she faced every day because of that, she still wanted her life to be enjoyable. Sitting around moping about how little progress they had made wasn’t going to help them reach their goals any faster. But, more importantly, it wasn’t any fun at all. 

Blake’s eyes followed Yang to the door. “Where are you going?” 

Yang placed her hand on the doorknob and turned. She opened the door just a crack. “For that victory drink!” 

Blake crossed the room in the blink of an eye. She slammed her hand against the door and shut it. “We need to keep a low profile!” Her harsh tone was pregnant with fear. 

Yang flinched at the sound of Blake’s voice. Blake wasn’t ready to let loose and enjoy her life again. And after learning about Blake’s past, it was no wonder. Blake had only just become comfortable with letting her guard down with Team RWBY, and then then Beacon fell - throwing her world back into the same darkness she had gone to Beacon to escape. There wasn’t any escape now. This was her life. 

An uncomfortable silence formed between them. Yang and Blake’s eyes locked. Sun watched them from the bed and giggled nervously. He was smart to let their argument play out without getting involved.

It was Yang who broke the stalemate. “Okay.”

Blake let out a sigh. “Good.”

“But,” Yang snapped her fingers and pointed at Blake. She wasn’t going to let her partner off that easy. “You owe me a drink once we get to Mistral.” 

“Fine.” Blake rolled her eyes. “After we find Sienna.”

“I just don’t know if I can wait that long…” Yang crossed her arms and leaned against the door. 

Blake massaged her temples and walked back toward the bed. “Yang…we’ll talk about this later - for now, let’s just get some sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The team's finally on Anima! Wooo! 
> 
> I know the plot itself hasn't moved forward very much, but I'm just having so much fun writing interactions between Blake, Yang, and Sun. Fear not! I truly am going somewhere with this.


	10. Tea Time Pt. 2

Yang, Blake, and Sun stepped into the abandoned town through a crumbling stone archway. This wasn’t the first place they had passed through that was in ruins. Yang frowned. She knew that life was dangerous outside the kingdoms, but she hadn’t expected things to be this bad. Nearly every other town they passed through was deserted - or worse.

“What are the huntsmen of Mistral doing!?” Yang couldn’t contain her anger any longer. If her negative emotions ended up drawing out the grimm - so be it. At least, then, she would be able to take out some of the monsters terrorizing this area.

“They probably just don’t have the manpower to watch over places this remote.” Blake strode forward and glance back at Yang. Yang frowned. Her partner’s logic was sound, but that didn’t mean Yang had to like it.

Sun walked up to Yang from behind. He sighed and gave her an understanding nod. “It really is too bad, though…”

“Yeah.” Yang agreed. There wasn’t much else she could do. She didn’t have time to scour the countryside for grimm. It wasn’t fair for her to blame another hunter or huntress for not doing something she didn’t have the time for, either.

“Let’s camp here for the night. I’ll scout around. You two set up camp.” Blake headed off on her own.

Yang and Sun exchanged worried glances. Blake could take care of herself, so being on her own wasn’t a huge issue by itself. The real problem came from how Blake acted when she spent too much time thinking - her irritability, the dark bags under her eyes - a clear sign she hadn’t been sleeping well - her sluggish pace...It was just like that time at Beacon when she had become obsessed with capturing Roman Torchwick. She needed to slow down. This was going to be a long journey. Blake needed more endurance than speed to last.

“What’s her deal?” Sun crossed his arms and scrunched up his face.

Yang put her hands on her hips. She sighed and her shoulders drooped. “Too much time on her hands, I think.”

Yang and Sun walked over to the sturdiest looking of the buildings. They set up camp quickly. After several weeks on the road, they had worked out a routine that made it easy to get everything unpacked and organized in a timely manner. Once everything was done, Yang would head to bed so she could make sure she was well rested for the second watch, and Sun would brew up some tea. That much was the same today.

“Tea?” Sun walked over to her with a cup in each hand.

Yang held up a hand in refusal of the offer. “No, I'm g-”

Sun shoved the glass into her hands anyway. “Don’t worry. It’s herbal tea. It won’t keep you up all night.” He crossed his legs and sat down next to her. The smile that was perpetually plastered on his face disappeared. He wanted to talk. The tea had just been a way for him to break the ice.

Yang was game. A little talk before bed wouldn’t throw her off kilter, and it was nice to break routine every now and then to keep the journey interesting. She took a sip of tea, then held the cup in her lap. “What’s up?”

Sun slammed his entire cup of tea down in one gulp. His knuckles were white from squeezing too tightly.

Yang cocked an eyebrow. “Looks like you might need something a little stronger than tea…” She pulled her flask out of her jacket pocket and held it out to Sun. He took it and unscrewed the top. He tilted his head back and took a big swig. It was a little too strong for him to handle. He coughed a few times and took a couple deep breaths before handing the flask back over to Yang, who snuck in one small sip before spinning the cap back on securely.

Sun wiped his mouth. He took a deep breath and ran both hands through his hair. “I don’t know how to help her. She seems so sad and angry lately…and nothing I do or say seems to cheer her up.” He gestured to Yang. “Even you haven’t been able to get her out of this funk.”

Yang looked down at the cup of tea in her lap, considering Sun’s words seriously. Sun was right, but Yang didn’t feel as down about it as him. Yang hadn’t even been trying to break Blake out of her brooding mood, as of late. Blake needed a chance to work out her feelings on her own. Yang couldn’t be there to guide her partner all the time. Still, with how detached Blake had been, the last few days especially, maybe it was time for Yang to intervene. That wasn’t what Sun needed to hear, though. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Sun.”

The sound that came out of Sun was a cross between a snort and a laugh. He wasn’t buying it.

“Listen,” Yang sighed. She didn’t think she’d convince Sun to give Blake some space, but she still wanted to try. “We both know that Blake can get...moody from time to time…”

“That’s an understatement if I ever heard one…” Sun mumbled under his breath.

Yang glared at him, but kept going. “But, she needs to learn to deal with her emotions in a more positive way on her own. We need to give her some space to do that.”

Sun had Blake’s best interest at heart, but Blake didn’t need a knight in shining armor. She needed time to figure her feelings out. His face contorted and his voice was fearful. “But, what if she does something rash - or dangerous - because she can’t -”

“Then we help her.” Yang cut him off. There was no point in working with hypotheticals. She was also utterly confident Blake would get her act together before doing anything that would mess up her - their - mission. Yang pat Sun on the back. Her voice boomed out confidently. “Right now you just have to trust her.”

“I do trust her. But -”

“No ‘buts.’ You trust her, or you don’t.” Yang was stern.

Sun sighed. His shoulders sank steadily lower. Their talk clearly wasn’t going the way he had wanted it. “Things are never that black and white…”

Yang smirked. “Everything will be fine - just Yang in there...you’ll see.”

Sun facepalmed. “Really? Right now? I was trying to have a serious conversation!” He got up and walked back over to the camp fire.

“Oh, come on!” Yang held her hands out in disbelief. Nobody appreciated her puns anymore! “I just wanted to lighten the mood!”


	11. Prophecy

Yang gripped the tumbler lightly by its rim. She spun the the glass around, ice clinking against the sides with each flick of her wrist. This was the first proper drink she’d had since Menagerie. She intended to savor it. Yang brought the glass up to her nose and took a whiff of the dark liquor. It smelled burnt. Yang cringed slightly, but tilted the glass back to her lips, anyway. Slight hints of butterscotch, and something sweet that Yang couldn’t discern, played on her tongue. It was like nothing she had ever tasted before. It was good. Yang smiled. She couldn't wait to try more of the flavors Anima and Mistral had to offer.

“Yang.”

An unfamiliar voice came from behind her. Something about it wasn’t entirely foreign - but Yang couldn’t pinpoint exactly where she had heard it before, either. The voice made her heart leap and her skin crawl all at the same time. Who would know her here in Anima? A sudden fear tightened Yang’s chest. Only people with ill intent likely knew her on sight in this place. Yang stood and spun around to face the person who had spoken her name. She activated Ember Celica - ready for anything.

Yang froze. The woman standing in front of her was her mirror image. Her hair was dark as night and her eyes glowed deep red, but the resemblance couldn’t be denied. Yang would have known her even if she had never seen her picture. It was Raven. It was Yang’s mother.

“May I?” Raven gestured toward the empty seat at the table. Yang tried to answer, but her words got stuck in her throat. Raven moved toward the seat even without her daughter’s consent. She leaned her sword against the table and placed her grimm helmet down in front of her. Raven pulled the chair out and sat at it with crossed arms. She waited.

Yang stood there - dumbstruck. A lump formed in her throat, but she held back her tears. She wouldn’t let her mother see her in that sort of state. Yang narrowed her eyes. She wouldn’t show her sadness, but her anger was primed and ready to go. Meeting her mother was something she had been striving for her whole life, and now, here she was - appearing from out of nowhere in rural Mistral of all places! How did she even know where Yang was? Raven must have always been watching her. That thought brought Yang no comfort. It only enraged her more. Yang’s eyes glowed red like her mother’s. She sat back down.

“H-how,” Yang cleared her throat. “How did you find me?” Yang grabbed her tumbler with both hands and looked into it. The ice bobbed up and down in time with her shaking hands. After waiting for so long, it was hard for Yang to look her mother in the eye.

“I never really left you, Yang.”

Yang’s grip tightened around the tumbler. She slammed the glass into the table and it shattered. Her aura sent a shockwave through the bar. The whole building rumbled with her rage. “Then what took you so long to show yourself? You knew I was looking for you, right? Why in the hell would you just watch me if you knew how much I wanted to find you!? I...I should kill you for what you put Dad and I through!” Yang balled her hands into tight fists and her breaths came in ragged bursts. She looked up at her mother’s cool gaze. Yang had a strong urge to jump over the table and sock Raven in the face. She resisted, for the time being.

Yang’s outburst drew the attention of the entire bar. A man, the same one Yang had ordered her drink from earlier, rounded the counter and sheepishly approached the two woman. “Is...everything okay here?” Yang shot him an angry look. Her eyes burned an even deeper red. The man recoiled and looked to Raven.

“Everything’s fine.” Raven reached into her obi and pulled out several lien. She waved them in front of the man. “Two more of whatever,” her eyes shifted towards the mess in front of Yang. “...that was.” The bartender took the money and retreated behind the counter to make their drinks. There was silence between them until two full glasses clinked down on the table. Raven gave the bartender a nod and he left them. She took one glass for herself and pushed the other one towards Yang.

“I know things haven’t been easy on you. And for that -” Raven took a swig from her glass. “I’m sorry.” Nothing about the way she said those words sounded apologetic.

Yang didn’t respond. Nothing she could say would do her feelings justice. She doubted she could verbalize anything but anger at the moment, and that wouldn’t do either of them any good. Best to just listen to what her mother had to say. Raven wouldn’t have shown herself after all these years for nothing. Whatever her reason was - it had to be important.

“Do you have nothing more to say?” Raven tapped the side of her glass.

“Oh - I’ve got plenty to say.” Yang spat bitterly. She took a liberal gulp of her drink and slammed the glass back to the table. “Why don’t you answer the questions I already asked you first?”

Raven pursed her lips. “I’ll answer all of your questions - in time. But, don’t you think it would be faster to see everything with your own eyes?”

Yang choked, coughing up a bit of her drink. “What?” Yang didn’t quite understand what her mother was asking.

“Come with me.” Raven interlocked her fingers and leaned forward.

Yang wiped her mouth. “You’re serious…” She couldn’t believe what she was actually hearing. Her mother wanted Yang to be by her side after all these years. Raven nodded at her daughter’s astonishment.

Yang closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. There was a time when her mother’s offer would’ve been all too easy to accept. She probably would have even left Beacon to go with her. Now, though, going along with Raven would mean leaving Blake to take down the White Fang without her - and that was an idea she wouldn’t even consider entertaining. Raven was practically a stranger. Yang couldn’t leave Blake behind for someone she hardly knew, even if it was her mother. Blake was her friend and partner. Yang’s choice was easy.

“I can’t.” Yang opened her eyes and met her mother’s hard stare. “I have things I need to do here.”

“Mmm,” Raven nodded and rested her chin on her hands. “The faunus girl? That one you lost your arm for?” Her tone dripped with condescension. ”The one you would’ve lost your life for, if it wasn’t for me...”

“What?” Yang practically snarled at her mother. And what had she even meant by that last part, anyway? Raven didn’t do anything for Yang during her fight with Adam - she only saved her from Neo. Once. Unless - Yang’s head throbbed. She brought her hand up to massage her temple - had her mother saved her a second time? If that were the case, Yang was living on borrowed time twice over.

Raven wasn’t deterred by her daughter’s shaken demeanor. She continued, even more harshly. “She’ll fail. And you’ll die trying to help her do something she’s far too weak to accomplish even in her wildest dreams. Best to just leave her now and-”

Yang flew to her feet and grabbed Raven’s collar from across the table. “Don’t you dare talk about her that way!”

Raven held out her hands and shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

Yang tightened her grip. She yanked Raven into the table. “You don’t know that!”

“I do.” Raven remained composed under her daughter's assault.

The certainty in her mother’s voice gnawed at Yang. Raven couldn’t possibly know what Blake was trying to achieve. There was no way she knew as much as she was letting on. And prophesying their demise? That was just too much. “I don’t have to listen to this…” Yang shoved her mother back. She picked up her drink and threw the rest of it back, needing something to take the edge off of her fury. The amount of alcohol in the drink likely wouldn’t be enough to calm her, but she had to try. It was better than nothing. Yang turned to leave.

The world spun around her. Yang gasped. She was back at Beacon. Her mother stood before her in the dimly lit courtyard. It was in shadow, but it was perfect - almost like the school had never been attacked. Yang, we have a lot to talk about. Yang closed her eyes and shook her head. That dream. It was the same as the dream she’d been having since seeing her mother on the train at Mountain Glenn. Yang opened her eyes, hoping that the vision would no longer be before her. A chill ran down her spine. It wasn’t a dream anymore.

“What do you want from me?” Yang couldn’t stop her voice from quivering. Somehow she could tell this was more than a semblance. Her mother’s power was beyond anything Yang could have imagined.

“I want you to live.” Her mother’s voice was kind and soft.

“I will live!” Yang clenched her fists and yelled.

Raven narrowed her eyes and her voice returned to it’s usual hard tone. “Not if you keep heading down the path you’re on…Come with me. Grow stronger. That is how you’ll live.”

Yang’s body lurched forward and she whirled around. Everything had returned to normal. She was back in the bar. Her heart pounded hard against her chest.

Raven was sitting. She leaned back in her chair. “Are you certain you won’t come with me?”

“Who -” Yang had to pause to catch her breath. “Are you?”

“That’s not an answer.” Raven smirked. Yang was startled by the similarity between her mother’s mannerisms and her own.

Yang flashed the same smile back at her mother. Somewhere deep in her soul, she found the strength to steady her voice. “My answer is still the same - no.”

Raven stood up quickly. Her chair skid against the wooden flood loudly. Mother and daughter stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment. “Then we have nothing more to talk about.”

Yang could have sworn she saw a hint of sadness in her mother’s eyes, but she didn’t have a chance to find out if she was right. Raven placed her grimm helmet on her head. She drew her sword, slashed open a portal, and was gone without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo~ 
> 
> Now Raven enters the scene!
> 
> I had quite a bit of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it :)


	12. Show Me Your Moves

“Alright, Yang.” Blake pulled Gambol Shroud from its sheath and held it out in front of her at an angle. “Show me what you’ve got!” A half-smile tugged lightly at her lips. She was itching to feel the thrill of battle. Testing her strength against Yang excited her all the more. It had been quite some time since they had spared.

Yang stepped back into a fighting stance, her cybernetic arm low and Ember Celica cocked back by her side. “You asked for it!” A unbridled grin flashed brightly across her face, outshone only by the sparkle in her eyes.

Sun cheered both of them on from the sidelines.

A gust of wind whipped through the field where they were standing. Blake’s hair tumbled around her head, blocking some of her vision. She waited for Yang’s attack to come. It never did. Her partner stood as still as a statue several paces ahead. So, this is how it’s going to be? Yang’s newfound patience wasn’t all that surprising. She had shown a much more cool-under-pressure attitude when she had fought Ilia. Blake had wondered if that had just been a fluke. Clearly, it hadn’t been. Blake shrugged. No point in making their training session into a staring contest. She would have to make the first move.

Blake sprang forward. The grass at her feet flew in every direction in response to the sudden burst of speed. Yang took shot after shot at her with Ember Celica. Blake dodged left and right - not a single blast met its mark. She was upon Yang. Blake brought Gambol Shroud high into the air. Yang attacked once more with Ember Celica, but this time she aimed for Blake’s feet. The ground exploded in a mess of grass, dirt, and stone. Blake teleported backward and her shadow clone was engulfed in the blast. She flipped and landed on her feet. The dust cloud settled slowly. Blake pulled the sheath from her back and held Gambol Shroud’s duel swords at the ready.

Yang burst through the veil of dirt. It was hard to tell if the shrill sound escaping her lips was a battle cry or a laugh. It was likely a little of both. Blake took one hit to the gut before she was able to shift out of the way of the rampaging brawler. She backed off. Shadow clones remained in her wake to take her partner’s hits. Yang was a force to be reckoned with when she was on the offensive. Blake was smart enough to know that she couldn’t match Yang’s strength. She had to take her time and probe for weaknesses.

A shiver crawled up and down Blake’s spine. The adrenaline rush of battle coursed through her and she had every intention of using the added strength and sharpness it granted to her advantage. Blake took a deep breath. She teleported above Yang. Her partner never saw her coming. Blake shifted forward, backward, and all around Yang in quick succession - leaving shadow clones behind after each strike with Gambol Shroud. Yang didn’t seem too fazed by the number of hits she was taking. The amount of damage Yang’s aura could take never ceased to amaze Blake.

The two fighters parted. They stood poised for another round. Blake huffed - being on the offensive side of the fight was exhausting. Yang held her hands up in a defensive position. She didn’t seem tired in the slightest.

“Is that the best you’ve got!?” Yang gave Blake a quick wink.

Blake pursed her lips and her cheeks grew warmer against her will. She laughed at the butterflies in her stomach. This was Yang. Not some stranger. There was nothing to fear. Blake’s anxiety settled. “Not even close!” The sound of her voice surprised her. She actually sounded happy. Blake couldn’t remember the last time she heard her own voice sound so carefree.

“Oh, ho!” Yang rolled her shoulders and put her hands on her hips. “Good.”

Blake took advantage of the opening and surged forward once again. She wouldn’t let her partner’s cockiness go unpunished. To Blake’s surprise, Yang was ready. Her partner’s dropped guard was nothing more than a ruse to draw Blake in for another attack. And it had worked. Yang grabbed Blake by the arm and shifted her body weight - using Blake’s momentum against her - to take her partner to the ground with ease.

This wasn’t where Blake wanted to be. She wasn’t a strong grappler by any stretch of the imagination - she couldn't even remember the last time she was in a ground fight. But, Yang was right at home. She spun. Her legs moved fluidly over and around Blake’s body. At just the right moment, Yang constricted like a snake making a kill and ensnared Blake’s right leg completely. Yang squeezed her arm around Blake’s ankle, compressing the tendon there. Blake grit her teeth and focused through the pain. She was able to shift above Yang, leaving a shadow in her partner’s grip.

Yang was quick to react. She rolled onto her back and snatched the real Blake by her throbbing ankle. Blake tried to shift away again, but the pain was too distracting. Yang’s grip tightened more and she slammed Blake forcefully back to the ground.

Lights flashed in front of Blake’s eyes. She tried to orient herself quickly, but by the time she did, Yang had already slipped behind her. Yang pulled her partner into a choke. Blake gripped Yang’s forearms and pulled as hard as she could. It didn’t do any good. Yang’s arms continued to tighten around Blake’s throat.

“Xiao Long can you hold out?” Yang’s breath was hot in Blake’s ear.

Yang’s puns were back with a vengeance. Blake rolled her eyes. She steadied her breath - one more teleportation was all she needed to finish this fight. If she couldn’t do it, she wouldn’t be able to hold out for very long at all and their sparring match would end with Yang as the victor.

Focus. It was hard to concentrate when she could hardly breath. Blake closed her eyes and took in as big a breath as she could with her airway partially blocked off. She knew exactly where she needed to be - she pictured it and activated her semblance. Then, she was there - spinning in the air above Yang. Her foot connected with the side of Yang’s face with such force that her partner was sent flying several feet away.

Yang used Ember Celica to control her movement midair. She flipped and brought her feet to the ground. One more shot with Ember Celica behind Yang brought the her to a stop. Yang took a deep breath and exhaled long and loud. “Well, I think I’m good for the day.”

Blake placed Gambol Shroud back in its sheath and back onto her back. Was Yang really done? She hadn’t even activated her Semblance. Blake didn’t want them to beat each other to a pulp, but she could have gone a few more rounds. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” Yang stretched her hands into the air. “I’m feeling kind of out of it.”

Something was definitely bothering Yang. Blake made a mental note to keep an eye on her partner and try to figure out what the problem was. Until then, she would play along. “I couldn’t tell. You fought well.”

“Aw! I wanted a round, too.” Sun crossed his arms. He gave both the girls a pouty face.

Yang walked up to Blake and threw her arm around her partner’s shoulders. “Tomorrow.” Yang tilted her head toward Sun. “I promise.”

Blake wasn’t fazed at all by Yang’s physical affection. It had become a welcome comfort since Yang returned to Blake’s side. Blake knew that her life would never be as easygoing as it was while she was attending Beacon, but Yang being there with her now brought back some of the comfort of those halcyon days. “What if he want’s a match with me?”

“Two on one?” Yang suggested.

Sun’s eyes grew wide and his cheeks reddened. “I like the sound of that!”

“Sun!” Blake smacked him on the head. She and Yang continued past him and back toward their camp.

“Hey, wait!” Sun followed behind. “I’m just kidding!”

Yang looked back at him and winked. “Sure you are…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically an excuse to practice some more fight scene stuff. This fic is gunna have quite a few fights in the near future, and since I find them ridiculously difficult to write - I figured more practice would be a good thing. Haha. 
> 
> Let me know how you think I'm doing. I always love to hear from you all!
> 
> I'm off to work myself, but I hope the rest of you can just have a relaxing day :) Happy Reading!


	13. The Contest

“Alright, Yang. Let’s do this!” Sun’s voice rang out through the forest. A couple birds in the tree nearest him fluttered their wings and flew away. 

Yang laughed and rolled her shoulders. She knew exactly what he was talking about. They had been going back and forth about arm wrestling for the better part of a week. It was about time they got this done. “You really wanna challenge Yang “Iron Fist” Xiao Long?”

Sun blew raspberries. “That’s not your real middle name.” 

Yang shrugged. “If the shoe fits.” She pounded her fists together. “Now are we gunna do this, or not?” 

“You know it!” Sun got down on his knees and placed them evenly apart. He leaned over the tree stump and placed his right elbow down. The smirk on his face was a mile wide. 

Yang shot him a confused look. This contest wouldn’t last very long if he wanted to face off against her right arm - the cybernetic augmentation she had there would make quick work of Sun. She shrugged and kneeled down in front of the stump opposite her opponent, wriggling her metal fingers. 

“What?” Sun eyed Yang’s robotic arm. “I can’t overpower Atlas Tech!”

“Then switch arms, dummy.” Yang shifted her weight from her right to her left and placed her real arm down on the stump. There was no guarantee Yang would win against him now, but she would give it her best. 

“My left arm is weaker.” Sun mumbled grudgingly, but switched arms. 

Yang let out one short laugh. “Mine, too.”

The two of them clasped hands and held the other’s gaze. Sun’s eyes narrowed. Yang’s smile transformed into more of snarl. It was all for show. Yang was honestly having a good time. When she had first met Sun, she hadn’t cared for him all that much. Now that she had gotten to know him, he was a good companion. The fact that he was always up for fun and games was an added bonus. If it had only been her and Blake on this journey - Yang could say definitively that it would have been much duller.

Yang took a deep breath. “On the count of three...one, two, th-”

“Wait, wait!” Sun pulled his hand back. “Do you mean on three, or just after?”

“On three!” Yang grabbed his hand. “Just. Three.” 

“Do you two need a judge?” Blake stifled a laugh.

Yang and Sun’s heads snapped toward their, until now, silent comrade. Blake’s book was face down at her side. Her arms were crossed, but she was smiling. It wasn’t a mouth smile alone - her eyes sparkled with life. Yang didn’t think her partner would approve of their antics, but her appearance said otherwise. It made Yang’s heart swell to see Blake relaxed and happy.

Sun gave Blake an awkward wave. “Oh - hey, Blake!”

Yang smiled sheepishly. “We didn’t know you were watching…” Now that Blake was paying attention, though, Yang couldn’t let Sun come out on top. She would win.

“It’s okay. I’m glad to see the two of you enjoying yourselves. Don’t stop on account of me. So - need any help? I’ll make sure everything is fair and square.” Was Blake trying to have fun with the two of them? This was a welcome change. They didn’t really need help judging an arm-wrestling contest, but Yang wouldn’t deny Blake the chance to have some fun while she was primed for it. Her partner was in the mood to be silly so little these days. Yang doubted her partners happy-go-lucky attitude would last much longer. It never did.

“Sure.” Yang looked over at Sun to make sure she had his approval, as well. He gave her two thumbs up. 

Blake pushed herself off of the ground and walked over to them. Her fingers wrapped gently around Yang and Sun’s clasped hands. She held them steady. “On three - one -”

Yang bit her lip. She tensed her arm muscles.

“Two -”

Sun gripped Yang’s hand back. His gaze shifted between Yang’s eyes and their interlocked hands. 

“Three!” Blake pulled her hand away, giving her companions plenty of space. 

Yang lost ground right away. Sun moved her arm toward the stump a good inch. He was stronger than Yang had initially suspected. Yang grunted. She grit her teeth and pushed back with all her might. Slowly - tenth of an inch by tenth of an inch - Yang’s fist was driven closer to the stump. 

Frustration built up inside Yang. This was the best she could do without her semblance. Raw strength wasn’t everything, as she recently learned from training with her father, but losing to Sun so easily still struck a nerve. She wanted the strength to protect everyone! To protect Blake...Unknowingly, her eyes changed from violet to red. Sun yelped. In a split second, the contest was over. Yang had shoved Sun’s hand into the stump with such force that the wood had imploded. 

Yang let go of his hand and stepped away from the crushed stump. She hadn’t meant to lose control like that. It was her damned semblance. Yang thought she was getting the hang of controlling it. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. 

“Hey!” Sun pried his hand out of the stump. “No fair. No semblances allowed.”

Blake crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. “I guess Sun wins by default.” She gave Yang a concerned look. 

Yang averted her eyes from Blake. She was already embarrassed enough about losing control of her semblance. It wasn’t something she was ready to talk about yet. 

“Sorry, Sun. I lost it a little bit there.” She tried to laugh off her slip-up, glad that she hadn’t really hurt Sun with her slip-up.

Sun stood up and dusted off his pants. “It’s cool. Don’t worry about it.”

Yang relaxed. Sun’s quick forgiveness made her feel somewhat better. 

“Yang?” Blake gabbed her partner’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Yang shrugged Blake’s hand off. Blake’s brow furrowed. “I’m fine. Really. Just...tired. I’m gunna go lie down.”

“Okay…” Blake’s shoulders slumped. 

Yang plodded over to her bedroll. She unzipped it and snuggled between the folds of the soft cotton. Raven. Her thoughts turned to her mother. With all the dreams she had been having of her, it was impossible to think of anything else. Raven’s prediction of their failure swam through Yang’s mind. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. There was only one thing to do - become stronger - and learn how to control her semblance completely. If she couldn't even do that, she didn’t even deserve to be by Blake’s side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Yang/Sun friendship stuff. I imagine they would be quite ridiculous - all the time. Poor Blake. Clearly she's loosening up a bit though. :)


	14. Nuckleeve’s Lair

A thunderclap boomed. Blake looked behind her. The storm was getting closer. It had been moving along with them faithfully all day and the grey clouds above threatened rain. They had only gotten a light drizzle up to this point, but the night wouldn’t be so forgiving. They needed to find shelter. And soon. Blake took another step forward up the steep mountain path.  
  
The rain started up again. Blake, Yang, and Sun continued onward. Their feet grew muddier with each step. It was bearable, until a flash of light and deafening thunder opening up the heavens. Water poured down in thick sheets. Blake could hardly see a few feet in front of her. They would lose each other in the storm if this kept up.  
  
“This way!” Sun appeared by her side and grabbed her arm. He pulled her to the side, and the rain came to a sudden stop.

Blake blinked the water from her eyes and looked around. They were in a small cave. Something was off. The air - it smelled of grimm. A closer examination revealed why that was the case. Swathes of the cave were covered in thick, black blood. It was dry. Whatever battle had happened here, it wasn’t recent - but the swords, shields, bows, and arrows strewn about the ground were of modern making, so it wasn’t an ancient battleground either.

“This place gives me the creeps…” Yang shivered and pulled her arms tightly into her body.

Blake was inclined to agree, but they couldn’t continue on with a storm raging outside. They were stuck. “We’ll have to make camp here for the night.”

Sun and Yang exchanged uncomfortable glances, but nodded. Staying in the cave for the night was their only option. Eerie as this place was, they had been lucky to find it.

* * *

The storm only grew in intensity as the night wore on. A frigid breeze blew through the cave. Blake pulled her sleeping bag more tightly around her body. It didn’t help. She couldn’t keep the biting cold out no matter how hard she tried. Her teeth chattered.

“Blake.” Yang’s voice was barely audible above the pouring rain and howling wind. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah.” Blake didn’t move. Her body ached and her eyes drooped. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk.

“I...found my mom…” Yang’s voice was breathy and weak.

Blake eyes snapped wide open. She rolled over to look at Yang. “What? When?” As farfetched as her partner’s claim seemed, Yang would never joke about meeting her mother.

Yang stared into the fire. “A few weeks ago...I - it was really strange. I didn’t know what to make of it. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until now.”

Yang’s behavior over recent weeks all made sense in light of this new information. Blake frowned. Her insides squirmed. She wished Yang would have told her sooner; then she might have been able to help her partner sort through her feelings. Blake didn't understand exactly what Yang was going through - she had a mother who loved her dearly, so how could she? But she would to do what she could for her partner, even if that was just to listen. “It’s okay. Do...do you want to talk about it?”

Yang looked up. She met Blake’s gaze and nodded. The wet streaks on her cheeks glistened in the firelight. Yang unzipped her sleeping bag and stepped out into the cold, damp air. She dragged it around the fire and laid it next to Blake, before snuggling back under the covers.

Blake brought her hands to Yang’s cheeks and wiped the wetness away with her thumbs. Yang’s face was hot. They would slow their pace a bit the next few days, so Yang could fight off whatever infection was in her system. Blake would make sure of that. She brushed a stray lock of golden hair out of Yang’s eyes, and placed her hands back in her sleeping bag. “Tell me what happened.”

Yang bit her lip, and looked away. She shook her head and looked back at her partner. “She asked me to go with her.”

Blake nodded. She kept her face cool and collected, but her heart rate quickened. There was nothing to fear. Yang was still with her - which meant Yang had chosen Blake over her mother.

“Thank you for staying.” The words came to her lips unbidden. Blake blushed and added quickly. “I know that must’ve been hard for you.”

“Actually,” Yang smiled at Blake. “It wasn’t hard at all.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You need me more than her. And -” Yang winked. “This is where I wanna be, anyway.”

Blake’s lip twitched. The words “thank you” nearly escaped her again. She didn’t deserve the level of devotion her partner was displaying for her, but it filled her soul with pride nonetheless.

Yang narrowed her eyes and her voice dropped. “There’s something else...”

Blake refocused on Yang. Of course, there was more to be said - and she wanted to know everything.

“She told me we’d fail. I think that’s why she tried to convince me to go with her - to protect me.” Yang’s speech grew faster and more frantic with each word. “ And I’ve been having these weird dreams since seeing her, well, I mean...I’ve always had them, but they’ve been becoming more vivid - and frequent. When I wake up in the morning, I never feel rested. Like I didn’t even sleep at all, and -”

“Yang,” Blake cut off her partner calmly. “It’s okay. Slow down.” The things Yang was telling her were disturbing. Blake’s face scrunched up. This was a lot to take in, and she had the feeling this wasn’t even half of what had transpired between Yang and her mother. There had to be a lot about the encounter that Yang couldn’t even put into words. At least she was trying.

Yang took a deep breath. “Right. Yeah, sorry.”  
  
Blake didn’t know where to start. Yang’s mother couldn’t possibly know about her mission. The only people who knew about it, outside of her, Yang, and Sun, were her parents. It must have just been a ploy to get Yang to come with her. The reason Yang’s mother wanted her daughter by her side after abandoning her all those years ago was a mystery. That’s what bothered Blake the most. She didn’t trust the intentions of a woman who abandoned her newborn daughter - especially since that daughter was Yang, and she knew how much her partner was hurt by the knowledge of her mother forsaking her.

The dreams Yang was having might contain some answers. Blake had never heard of a semblance that allowed someone to control dreams, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. “What’s in these dreams you’ve been having?”

“I’m always at Beacon. In the main courtyard by the statue of the hunter and huntress - my mother waits for me - she always tells me the same thing…” Yang groaned and grabbed her head. She looked pained. “...talk of ‘maidens’ and ‘relics’ - none of it makes any sense. It always feels so real - like I’m actually there. I know that isn’t possible, but that’s how it feels...”

Blake sulked. There wasn’t anything for her to work with there. She had hoped she could give Yang something concrete to work with - but that wasn’t going to happen. Not yet, anyway. “I don’t know what any of that could possibly mean...but don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”

Yang nodded. “Thanks for listening.” Yang looked back over to her side of the fire, but she didn’t make a move to return to her original spot. She rolled back over and eyed the small sliver of dirt between them. Her mouth contorted into a frown. “Can I...stay over here for the night?”

“Of course.” Blake smiled and closed the distance between them. They were as close as they could get to each other without sharing a sleeping bag. “Try and get some rest.”

“Will do.” Yang meet Blake’s gaze. Her lips turned upward into a slight smile. She closed her eyes and leaned up against her partner.

Blake waited until she heard Yang’s breathing fall into a relaxed rhythm that could only signify sleep. “Sun.”

“Yeah?” Sun looked back at Blake from the rock by the entrance of the cave that he was perched upon.

“Let’s spit watch between just the two of us tonight.”

Sun gave Blake a playful salute. “Roger that!” He turned his attention back outside.

Blake brought her hand out of her sleeping bag one more time and stroked the side of Yang’s cheek. A twinge of guilt shot through her gut. It wasn’t right for her to be touching Yang without her knowing, but Blake couldn’t contain the urge to care for her partner. And, she was far too shy to ever do something like this while Yang was aware.

Her fingers paused next to Yang’s lips. They were chapped from all of their travel, and Yang’s temperature wasn’t helping matters. Blake’s heart fluttered. Even with her imperfections - _no, because of her imperfections_ \- Yang was beautiful. Blake gasped at her sudden desire. It was a yearning she had not experienced for anyone in years. She wanted Yang’s lips on hers - to feel them, to taste them.

Blake was mortified. Kissing Yang was the absolute last thing she should be thinking about. Her mission took precedence over any feelings like that. She retreated into her sleeping bag, but peaked at her partner through a small hole in the fabric. Her heart twisted awkwardly. This is what she got for binge reading _Ninjas of Love_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! That's the end of twice a week updates. I'll see you all next Saturday with a longer chapter where the team finally makes it the the City of Mistral!
> 
> Bout time Blake realized her feelings for Yang, huh? Haha.


	15. Closer

Blake pulled her hood more tightly around her face and walked into the tavern. The bottom floor was a bar, which was no surprise. Yang had been the one to scout out the place. There were several rooms lined up one after another on the half floor above. One of them would likely be their home for the next several weeks - or however long it took them to find Sienna. Blake hoped it wouldn’t take that long, but these things took time. The place was deserted. Only two patrons sat at the bar rail, chatting quietly with the bartender, and a lone clerk sat behind a small counter by the door. Her face was buried in a book. Blake noted how pretty she was with her dark brown doe eyes and wavy golden brown hair. The booze, the cute receptionist - it was just the kind of place Yang would choose for their base of operations. Her partner certainly had her own motivations - still, it would suit their needs just fine.

The clerk looked up from her book. Her eyes were glazed. “Evenin’~.” She slurred her words slightly. Blake could smell the alcohol on her breath from well beyond the counter.

Yang stepped in front of Blake and Sun. She leaned on the counter “Evenin’. Told you I’d be back.” Blake couldn't see Yang’s face, but something about the way she said those words told her there was a wink added to them.

The girl looked confused. A moment later, recognition flashed in her eyes. “Oh! Welcome back!” She jumped to her feet and figeted wildly. Yang clearly had done something to make her nervous. The clerk twirled a single lock of golden-brown hair around her finger and cleared her throat.  “Can I...help you?”

“You sure can.” Yang held up three fingers. “Room for three, please.”

Blake waited while Yang hashed out the remaining details with the clerk, and then some. A touch of the hand that went a little too long here, a coquettish joke there. The copious amount of flirting in the transaction was a little unnecessary. Blake’s cat ears twitched. Yang was such a child sometimes.

“Thanks, again.” Yang waved to the clerk and turned back to Blake and Sun. She had a big smile on her face.

Blake couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes, but her hood masked her look of annoyance.

“How do you do it?” Sun’s voice was in awe.

Yang lead the way towards the stairs. “Do what?”

“Get every girl, scratch that, every _one_ to flirt with you.” Sun whispered low enough for the clerk to remain oblivious, but Blake heard every word.

Yang laughed. “I wouldn’t say _everyone_.” She was boisterous, high on the adrenaline rush of her flirtations.

There was no doubt the clerk heard Yang - silence wasn’t her strong suit - but Blake didn’t bother looking back to check. She already knew what she would see if she did: A flushed face hiding in the pages of a book. It was all too familiar.

“Just most.” They arrived at the door to their room. Yang placed the key into the lock and turned. The three of them walked in. “It’s not too hard, Sun. Just be yourself, and don’t get too invested in the outcome. Have fun, ya know?”

Sun plopped down on the bed. “Right…” He sat up and crossed his legs, resting his chin in his hands. His face contorted in concentration.

Yang slammed her fist into the palm of her hand. “I’ve got it! Maybe Blake will lend you _Ninjas of Love._ I bet there are some great pointers in there!”

“Yang!” Blake’s eyebrows shot up and her face flushed. “What’s wrong with you?”

“What?” Yang turned to face Blake head on. “It’s not like he hasn’t seen it. It’s the only book you brought.”

“Well,” Blake put her hands on her hip and glared at Yang. “Excuse me for wanting an escape from our current reality from time to time.” Her voice broke.

That wiped the grin right off of Yang’s face. “Blake…”

Blake crossed her arms and turned away from her partner. “Now, if you two are done being children, we have some actual work to do!”

Yang and Sun exchanged nervous glances. Neither of them argued Blake’s point - because it was true. They had come to Mistral to do a job. It was time to get it done, or at least get it started.

“Sun.”

Sun sat to attention. “Yes, ma’am.” His voice cracked.

Blake continued. “You know this city better than either of us. Where’s the best place to get information?”

“Mistral is well known for having a seedy underbelly. We could start there. I can snoop around and see if I hear any whisperings of the White Fang.”

“Good.” Blake nodded.

“I think Ruby would be of help, too. She’s been here for months. She might even know where the White Fang are already.” Yang said.

It was only a matter of time before Yang brought up Ruby. Blake wanted to find Ruby, too, but right now there were more important matters to attend to. Finding Sienna took precedence. Besides, Ruby could handle herself. She wasn’t some damsel in distress. There was no way she needed saving. Yang just missed her sister. Blake sighed. “If she’s even here. You said so yourself, you don’t know exactly where she is -”

Yang cut her partner off. “I know. But, she _was_ heading this way. I bet she’s at Haven Academy.”

“Starting off at Haven isn’t a bad idea. My team would be more than willing to lend a hand, as well.” Sun backed Yang up.

“No. No one else gets involved.” Blake made her tone as forceful as she could.

It wasn’t enough. Sun questioned her immediately. “Do you really think the three of us will be enough to take down the White Fang?”

“We’re going to have to be!” Blake’s cheeks flushed. There were plenty of things a small team could do to usurp and organization. And, the less of them that there were, the less people that would die when they finally made their move. Blake wanted as little bloodshed as possible.

“Only if you keep being stubborn about this. It doesn’t have to be just us.” Yang crossed her arms. The look she gave Blake was one of disgust. Blake chest lurched. Her jaw hung slack. She didn’t want Yang to look at her like that ever again.

Sun hopped off the bed and stepped between Blake and Yang. He placed his hands on Blake’s shoulders. “Give us one day. Best case scenario: we find our friends and something useful for our mission, worst case: we only lose a day.”

Blake grit her teeth. She looked to the ground. “Fine. One. Day.”

They didn’t understand. In war, one day could mean the difference between life and death. One day could be the difference between finding Sienna alive or dead. They couldn’t let Adam kill her without talking to her first. There wasn’t any point in arguing any further, though; there were two of them and one of her. It was best for her to let them go on their personal missions tomorrow. One day. That was the price of their loyalty.

The thought twisted Blake’s stomach. She didn’t want to think of Sun or Yang in terms of their loyalty - they were her friends - but she had to start thinking like a leader. That meant that, some of the time, she had to be cold and calculating. Even with the people who were closest to her.

“Alright!” Sun put his arm around Blake’s shoulder and swept his free hand out in front of them. “We’ve got ourselves a plan.”

Yang grumbled and trudged past them.  

“Where are you-” Blake was silenced by the slamming door. It seemed like nothing she did was good enough for her partner. Her heart ached. _Yang…_

* * *

 

It had taken getting all the way to the the City of Mistral to find a place that had all the ingredients to make a strawberry sunrise. Yang threw back her fourth one. It had been far too long since that sweet sensation filled her mouth. The creamy strawberry liquor used to make her favorite drink wasn’t the strongest stuff, but she was still drinking them faster than was wise. She needed to stay sharp for the mission. That would be the responsible thing to do.

But, Yang didn’t pride herself on doing the responsible thing. She slid her empty glass toward the bartender.

He set down the tumbler he was shining, threw his rag over his shoulder, and picked up her empty glass. “Another?”

Yang held up two fingers. “Make it two.” The drinks went much too quickly. Yang considered upping her order. She shook her head. If she stayed in the bar much longer, she wouldn’t be able walk out. As much as she felt like getting sloshed, she wouldn’t do it. The same woman who frustrated her to the point of wanting to get drunk was the same one that she was staying sharp for. The things she did because of her partner...

The bartender sat the two drinks in front of Yang. “How much?” She asked.

“Twenty-five lien.”

Yang reached into her front jacket pocket for the money and handed him thirty. “Keep the rest.” She took a glass in each hand and stood. “I’ll bring these back.”

The bartender went back to shining glasses. “You break ‘em, you buy ‘em.”

Yang took a few steps from the bar before stopping, debating whether or not to go back to the room. She didn’t really feel like dealing with either of her companions right now. Sun would just want to pick up the same conversation they had been having. And that would just piss Blake off again - since it would likely lead to more discussion about _Ninjas of Love_. Yang didn’t know why her partner even read the book if she didn’t want to talk with anyone about it.

It wasn’t worth arguing over. Not tonight. Yang just wanted to enjoy her strawberry sunrises and relax. Life was about to get much more stressful. The fight with the White Fang was going to go into full swing soon. This was her last hurrah! Blake wouldn’t ruin it. Yang frowned. Even though she was annoyed with Blake’s antics, she wished her partner could be enjoying the last bit a peace they would have for a long while together.

That’s when it came to Yang: _the roof_. She could relax up there and look at the stars while finishing up her drinks. It wouldn’t be great stargazing like it had been out on the open ocean, the light pollution from the city would make sure of that, but it would still be a nice escape. Yang strode by the clerk she had flirted with earlier. She was reading the same book. Her eyes flicked back and forth across the pages frantically. She didn’t even glance Yang’s way when the huntress passed by and opened the tavern door.

It was dark, but street lights kept the front of the tavern lit up well enough. Yang looked up. The tavern only had two stories, and although the roof wasn’t flat, it had a shallow enough slope for her to walk around on it without sliding off. Yang shook out her legs and bent them slightly in preparation for a leap, then she was in the air - a wide grin plastered to her face - the wind whipping through her hair.

A certain cat faunus looked up at Yang flying through the air. Amber eyes wide and her hand set on the hilt of Gambol Shroud.

Yang landed in a crouch a few paces from her partner. Blake eyed the drinks in Yang’s hands.

Yang stood up straight. “I hope I’m not interrupting.” She said the first thing that came to her mind. It seemed there was no escaping each other.

Blake lowered her hand from Gambol Shroud and looked away from Yang. She gripped her arm. “No.”

Yang reconsidered her plan for some time alone. Blake had been unreasonable when she had been talking with Sun and Yang in the room, but she was different now. The softness of her voice gave her away. It was just like how she was when they were stargazing together back on the boat. Her guard was down. She needed Yang at times like these more than anything. And Yang was up to the challenge.

“You know,” Yang walked over to Blake and held out her one of the strawberry sunrises. She smirked. “Standing on a roof looking out at the city with foreboding isn’t the best way to lie low.”

Blake eyed the drink. She seemed skeptical. Yang figured she might try to turn it down, and gave her partner a miffed sideways glance. It was a tactic that hadn’t gotten Blake to let loose and drink so far on their journey, but it worked tonight - much to Yang’s surprise. Blake took the glass Yang was offering her.

“Neither is jumping up on a roof from the street. At least I had the sense to climb out the window.” Blake held her drink up to her nose and took a big whiff of the liquid. She grimaced.

“What?” Yang cocked an eyebrow.

Blake held the cup a bit further from her face. “It smells too sweet.”

Yang plopped down on the rooftop. She took a sip and exhaled loudly and happily. “It’s not always about the taste.”  

Blake rolled her eyes and sat next to Yang. She took a small sip. Her face scrunched up and she made a small squeaking sound. “It’s even sweeter than it smells…”

Yang laughed. That was the most adorable thing she had seen since the last time she saw Weiss dotting on Zwei. “Sorry. I didn’t know I’d be grabbing a drink for you, too.”

Blake didn’t respond. Her eyes were glued forward and slightly up, facing the mountains - and Haven Academy.

Yang wasn’t comfortable with the silence that formed between them. It was heavy. Suffocating. She had to say something - anything. “I promise I won't let finding Ruby get in the way of taking back the White Fang.”

Still nothing from Blake.

Yang shifted her weight and leaned toward Blake. “I know she’ll be able to help us. I just have this gut feeling...like we need her, ya know?”

Blake didn’t even blink. Maybe she had run off and replaced herself with a shadow clone.

Fear overcame Yang and she shook her partner’s shoulder roughly. “Blake!”

“What!?” Blake winced. She smacked Yang’s hand away from her shoulder.

Yang froze in place and blinked. Blake’s jaw tightened and she wouldn’t even make eye contact with Yang. There was something seriously wrong.    
“Blake…” Yang leaned forward. She reached for Blake’s shoulder again, but stopped short. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” Blake grabbed Yang’s wrist and snapped her head toward her partner. Her voice was strained. Her bottom lip quivered and she leaned forward. She didn’t let go of Yang. “Everything…” A soft whisper escaped her lips.

Yang pulled Blake into her arms. The strawberry sunrise Yang had given her partner was jostled loose. It fell from Blake’s hands and tumbled all the way down the roof. Yang heard it shatter, but she couldn’t care less. The girl in her arms mattered far more than a silly glass of alcohol. They were cheek to cheek. Blake’s breathing hitched. Yang whispered into her partner’s ear. “Talk to me, please.”

Blake rested her forehead on Yang’s shoulder. She took a few deep breaths, then pushed herself out of the embrace. Her hand remained on Yang’s shoulder. She squeezed. “I’m scared.”

Yang placed her hand over the hand on her shoulder. The warmth there wasn’t as fulfilling as holding Blake in her arms, but it was the next best thing. “It’s okay to be scared. I’m scared, too. But, we’re doing the right thing. There are too many evil forces at work in the world. We need to work even harder to counteract them - and fight through our fears.”

“That’s not it! I’m not scared for me. I’m scared for _you_! And Sun! I don’t want to treat you like soldiers! Like some pawns in a game.” Blake ran her free hand through her hair. Her body shuddered at the thought of sending her friends off into battle. She didn’t know if she could make that kind of decision. “I know what I need to do - and the more I think about it - the more I know that I’ll need to put you into harm's way to accomplish my goal-”

“Our goal.” Yang gripped Blake’s hand harder for emphasis. She took a swig of her drink. How hard could it possibly be for Blake to understand that Yang and Sun didn’t feel like they were being used? They wanted to help her - and here she was going on about ‘her’ goal. It was Yang’s goal. And Sun’s, too. They wanted to better the world - just like Blake.

Blake sighed and pulled her hand from Yang’s. “Our goal.” Her tone wasn’t convincing. Yang was sure her partner was just trying to appeasing her. “And now you’re talking about getting Ruby involved! Are you really willing to put her in harm’s way for my sake? Because I’m not!”

Yang leaned back on her elbows and looked up at Haven Academy. She hoped with all her heart that her sisters was up there somewhere - safe and sound. “It’s not like I want Ruby to be in danger, but she chose to be a huntress - just like us. She chose to gain the strength to fight against the evils of this world. It would be a waste for her to not use it.”

Blake laughed sadly. “There’s no convincing you, is there?”

“Nope. I’m pretty stubborn like that.” Yang was glad to see Blake smiling - even if it was somewhat half hearted.

“How am I going to lead an organization like the White Fang if I can’t even lead my friends?” Blake’s shoulders slumped.

“Now you’re just getting ahead of yourself.” Yang downed the rest of her strawberry sunrise. There wasn’t anywhere level to set the empty glass. She shrugged and tossed it over her shoulder. That made Blake laugh. Yang’s heart skipped a beat. It was terrible living in a world where she got to hear that sound so infrequently. She gave her partner a confident smirk. “You’re going to be a great leader. I know it.” Yang’s face heated up. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than by your side.”

“The way you looked at me earlier doesn’t inspire confidence.” Blake slammed her hands flat on the roof at her sides. She looked Yang in the eye. “Actions speak louder than words, Yang.”

Yang’s gut twisted. Her heart went into overdrive. It hammered unrelentingly against her chest. _Fuck it._ Blake was right. Actions _did_ speak louder than words. And if action is what it took to convince her partner that this was where she wanted to be - so be it. Yang took her glove off her flesh hand. If she was going to do this, she wanted feel as much of the experience as she could - and if Blake rejected her it would be the only chance she would get to kiss her.

Blake looked down at the glove. She seemed confused. “What are you-”

Yang closed the distance between them and touched her forehead to her partner’s. She caressed the side of Blake’s neck with the tips of her fingers. Yang let her digits linger there for a moment and breathed. It was wonderful to just be this close to Blake. Blake didn’t move. She didn’t even appear to breathe. There wasn’t any sense of refusal. On the contrary, the look in Blake’s eyes conveyed wanting.

Yang slid her hand up to her partner’s cheek and tilted her chin up with very little encouragement. She brought her lips down against Blake’s.

* * *

 

The sweetness on Yang’s lips wasn’t as oppressive as that of the strawberry sunrise. It was just right. Everything was right.

Blake brought her shaking hands up and grabbed onto Yang. One hand behind her partner's head and the other on her leg. She gripped the fabric of Yang’s pants and her golden mane, holding on for dear life. She never wanted to let go. Yang moaned and deepened the kiss in response to Blake’s touch. A coolness rubbed up against Blake’s stomach and she flinched at the sudden sensation.

Yang stopped and pulled back. “Are you okay? Do you wanna st-”

“Dust, no! Yang, don’t stop.” Blake didn’t even care how desperate she sounded. She pulled Yang closer by her metallic limb - not wanting her partner to think she was averse to being touched by it - and dragged the metal fingers across her stomach. Blake laughed at the perplexed look on Yang’s face. “It was just cold and surprised me. Now, shut up and kiss me.”

Yang dove back in for another taste of Blake’s lips. Blake gasped at her partner’s intensity. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Yang was intense about everything, and kissing was no exception. It was Blake’s fault for presuming that might be the case. She recovered and returned the kiss. Passion flowed from her lips. Their tongues and lips moved together in a bewitching dance.

Blake regretted waiting so long to do this with Yang. She had denied herself this pleasure, and for what? Fear. That was why. _Adam._ Blake pulled away. She didn’t want to be afraid anymore, but she was - now more than ever - and she hated herself for it. If Adam somehow got to Yang, Blake didn’t know how she would go on. This wasn’t right. She couldn’t do this until Adam, Sienna, and the rest of the White Fang were handled. Blake’s gut jolted. She wanted to kiss Yang over and over again and never stop, but she wouldn’t let her desire put her partner in more danger that she already was.   

“Hey.” Yang’s soft voice brought Blake back to the rooftop.

Blake’s eyes snapped to Yang. It was going to be hard to tell her partner they weren’t going to do this again - not for a while, anyway. She bit her lip. A tear drop slid down her cheek and rested precariously on her chin. Yang leaned forward and kissed it away. That only served to bring on more tears.

Yang wrapped her arms around Blake’s waist and pull her partner into her lap. Blake rested her head in the crook of Yang’s neck. They stayed that way until Blake’s tears dried up.

Blake wiped the last of her tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Yang rubbed small circles on the small of Blake’s back. “You wanna talk about it?”

“We...can’t do that again.” Blake couldn’t keep her voice even - though she tried quite hard to do so.

“Is that so? Because you seemed to enjoy it.”

Blake had enjoyed it. A lot. Too much. It was hard to resist kissing Yang even now. “Yang, this is seriou-”

“Until you didn’t.” Yang’s tone darkened. “Blake, I’m not a creep. We don’t have to do that again, if you don’t want...Is it Adam?”

Blake pushed herself off of Yang’s lap. Her partner let her go without a fuss, but Blake saw the light in Yang’s eyes fade and her shoulders slump slightly. “Yes...and, no...it’s everything! It’s this whole situation! There is too much that needs to be done. I can’t let myself be distracted by lo-” Blake facepalmed. She had nearly declared her love for Yang right there and then. It wasn’t the right time for that. “Distracted by a potential relationship with you.”

Yang was smiling now. She had definitely heard what Blake had originally been trying to say.

“What if I die tomorrow?” There was a certain exuberance about Yang that should never be paired with a question of such gravity. Had that kiss made Yang lose her mind? It wouldn’t surprise Blake if it did.  It had had nearly the same effect on her.

“Yang! I don’t want to even think about that!”

“Well, you need to!” Yang’s eyes burned red. “If I die tomorrow, would you be happy that we had this moment together, or not?”

“I…” Blake saw where Yang was going with this. If Yang died tomorrow, at least they had this moment of intimacy and love. A more horrible thought flashed through Blake’s mind. _What if Yang had died yesterday?_ Blake would have lived on with a terrible weight bearing down on her. Regret that she had never had the courage to tell Yang how she felt, or at least showed her how she felt. Not loving Yang wasn’t the answer. Loving her more was.

Blake groaned. She cradled her head in her hands. “I’ve been such a fool, all this time…”

Yang tiled her head to the side. Her blonde locks bounced in time with the subtle movement. Her cheeks had a slight red twinge to them. “Figure it out yet?”

“Maybe…” Blake flashed a playful grin at her partner. “But, I might need some help with the details.”

Yang held out her hand and winked. “I think I can help with that.”

Blake took her hand. A swift yank from Yang landed Blake back in her partner’s arms. Yang kissed her forehead. She aimed another kiss at Blake’s lips, but was cut off by Blake’s index finger pointing at her face. “Tomorrow it’s back to business.”

“Roger that!” Yang swerved around Blake’s finger and buried her face into the crook of her partner’s neck. She bit down on the soft flesh.

“Yang!” Blake yelped in surprise - but not displeasure.  

“I love it when you’re feisty!” Yang’s words buzzed on Blake’s flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it - and yes, I know, a kiss at this point in a slowburn story can never mean good things are coming. Haha. 
> 
> I probably won't be back with an update for a couple weeks, unless by some miracle I get some free time out of thin air. Still hoping for it nonetheless. 
> 
> Happy reading!


	16. Finding Ruby Rose

_Ding. Ding._  “Approaching Haven Academy.”

Yang pulled her feet off of the seat in front of her and stretched her arms into the air. The train ride had been longer than she had anticipated. Not long enough to put her to sleep, but just long enough to make her muscles stiff from lack of use. Haven Academy had looked so close when Yang and Sun had first boarded the train. It was the snaking path the train took around the city which made the trip long.

Sun got to his feet and headed for the door. Yang followed. Sun had been unusually quiet since seeing the innocent peck on the cheek Blake gave Yang when they had parted ways with her back at the tavern. Poor guy. He must have thought he had a chance with Blake after discovering she and Yang weren’t an item back on the boat to Anima. There wasn’t any chance for him now. Yang wasn’t ever going to let Blake go again.

“So…” Yang grabbed the handhold above her. The train grinded to a halt. “Where to now?”

The doors slid open. Sun led the way out. “Let’s head to the dorms. My team might have some information on Ruby.” Sun scratched behind his ear and laughed. “Plus, I want them to know I’m alive.”  

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea…how much school have you missed?”

“Psh.” Sun waved off Yang’s comment. “School’s overrated.”

Yang looked up at the ornate buildings in front of her. Most of them had several levels - more like towers - each with a small roof protruding from the side and slanting upward at the end. The school itself was built tall. It was much taller than Beacon had been. “At least you have a school to come back to…”

Sun put his hand on his hip and sighed, looked back at Yang. He grumbled. “Come on.”

Yang hadn’t intended to make Sun feel bad with her biting words. He already knew how much Yang and Blake had lost. It wasn’t something that needed to be iterated over and over, but being back at a Huntsman Academy brought her memories of Beacon back to the forefront of her mind. Yang thought she was over the loss of her school - and of her former life. A frown pulled hard at her lips. Clearly, she was not.

The wide sidewalks and spacious courtyards near the station narrowed into winding corridors and steep stairways the deeper they moved into the school. Sun didn’t slow his pace. He knew exactly where he was going. It was a good thing he did - Yang would have gotten turned around in no time.

Yang caught sight of Mistral’s CCT tower between two of the shorter towers. “Local calls should work here, right?” She couldn’t believe she hadn’t considered this fact earlier. It was just too easy to forget about her scroll now that she wasn’t using it on a daily basis.

“As far as I know…” Sun stopped and reached for his scroll. He opened it. “Signal’s low, but it’s there. If whoever you’re calling is on academy grounds, if should go through.”

Yang got her scroll out, as well. “I’ll try Ruby’s scroll.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Sun came to Yang’s side and looked over her shoulder at her scroll.

Yang dialed Ruby’s number. It rang. Yang held her breath. “Ruby Rose here! Captain of Team RNJR! Leave a message after the beep and I’ll call you back soon~! Bye~!” Yang hit the call end button. It was Ruby. She was somewhere nearby. Her scroll was off, but the call would have never gone through otherwise. She held the scroll close to her chest. Yang took a deep breath and held back tears. Hearing her sister’s voice was enough to make Yang’s heart burst.

“Who’s team RNJR?” Sun asked the obvious question.

Yang cleared her throat. “It has to be Jaune, Nora, and Ren. They’re the ones she came here with.” She couldn’t help but be a little irked by the fact that the four of them had their own team name. Ruby had moved on from the rest of Team RWBY pretty quickly.

_And she was our leader!_ The betrayal hurt. But, Yang understood. She had been out of commission. Blake had run. And Weiss had been forced back to Atlas by her father. Ruby had no choice but to move forward and, with Pyrrha gone, it only made sense for the remainder of Team JNPR to join up with Ruby.

Sun turned and waved his arm, signaling Yang to follow. She shoved her scroll in her pocket and did.

If only things had turned out differently. Losing her arm was one thing, but Pyrrha...she had lost a whole lot more than that. She had lost everything - her hope for a bright future - and she was one of the most positive and hopeful people Yang had ever known. Pyrrha hadn’t deserved the fate of a martyr.

Yang sighed. She always did her best to direct her thoughts away from the dead. It was hard enough to stay positive after losing her arm, but at least she was alive. The past couldn’t be changed, and she was tired of dwelling on it. The best thing she could do for Pyrrha was work hard to make the world a better place. She was already trying to do that, of course, but knowing Pyrrha would approve and be avenged in the process - that felt right.

“We’re almost to the dorms.” Sun must have recognized the pained look on Yang’s face. He was quick to get their focus back to their mission.

Yang was thankful for the distraction. She would be able to get answers from Ruby soon enough, so there wasn’t any point brooding over the loss of their team.

And Pyrrha...her end was something best to keep out of Yang’s mind altogether. It was too depressing.

The top of the next stairway opened up to another flat area with one long, three-story building. It was the only part of the school that looked like Beacon in the slightest. If not for the different backdrop, Yang could have sworn it was her dorm.

Sun picked up the pace. There was a childlike twinkle in his eye. He was going to get to reunite with his team today. While they were traveling together, he hadn’t made mention of them all that often, but the way he was acting at this instant proved he missed them dearly.

They jogged through a set of glass double doors and up to the second floor. Sun stopped so suddenly that Yang had to weave around him to not barred him over. His hand wavered over the handle of the door he had stopped in front of.

Yang smiled softly. She understood his trepidation. It was hard to see people who were dear to you after a long absence. She put her hand on his shoulder and he looked over at her. “Go on.” Yang titled her head towards the door.

That little bit of extra encouragement was all Sun needed. He grasped the doorknob and turned it. Sun’s three teammates all looked to the doorway.

Sun waved laughed nervously. “Hey, guys...”

“What the hell?” Sage snapped the book he had been reading shut and threw his legs over the side of his bed.

“Sun!” Neptune and Scarlet jumped from their chairs and practically tackled their leader into a group hug.

Neptune held Sun at arm’s length by his shoulders. “Where’ve you been, man?”

“Helping Blake out with something.” Sun scratched the back of his head and smiled widely.

“You’ve been helping some girl out instead of being here with us?” Sage crossed his arms. His brow twitched upward.

Neptune shook his head disapprovingly. “Bros before hos, dude.”

Scarlet let go of Sun and put a hand on his hip. “Seriously.”

Sun’s cheeks grew red. “Alright, alright, guys. I’m sorry, but it’s important.”

The three of them didn’t look convinced. Sun looked back at Yang with a pleading look on his face.

“Yang?” Neptune noticed the blond huntress standing in the hallway once Sun’s glance drew attention to her.

“Hello~” Yang walked into the room. She slapped Neptune on the back in greeting. “How’s it going, Neptune?”

“Good…what are yo-”

“Great! Listen, I can see the four of you have a lot of catching up to do - so - if you could direct me to my sister, Ruby Rose.” Yang clarified for Sage and Scarlet. They hadn’t spent nearly as much time with Team RWBY, so they might not know who Yang’s sister was, or even who Yang was for that matter. “I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Yang!” Sun grabbed her jacket sleeve. He lowered his voice. “Don’t leave me.” The rest of his team heard every word.

“I think Ruby and the rest of Team RNJR are in class right now.” Neptune looked up at the clock. “They should be done soon, though. Their doom is on the third floor. Room 320.” Scarlet and Sage gave Neptune an odd look.

Yang also found it rather strange that Neptune knew their exact room number and their class schedule.

“What!?” Neptune dropped his cool demeanor. “Jaune’s a cool guy. We hang out from time to time.”

“Welp. Thanks for the info boys.” Yang walked out the door and waved without looking back at Team SSSN. “Catchya later, Sun.”

* * *

 

Neptune hadn’t been one hundred percent correct about Team RNJR’s schedule. Yang had been waiting by room 320 for nearly an hour and no one had shown up yet. He could have even been wrong about the room number, too, but it was Yang’s only lead on her sister’s whereabouts. She would wait until someone arrived.

Yang pulled out the picture of Team Rwby that she always kept in her jacket. She stared at it, as she often did, when there was nothing better to do. Her thumb caressed the image, passing over the faces of each of her teammates - Ruby holding out her peace sign with her goofy smile, Weiss’ cool and composed smile, Yang herself - the arm she was now missing waving back at the camera, and Blake looking genuinely happy. “New Friends!!!” Yang remembered taking the red marker and scrawling that caption herself.

What she wouldn’t give to have that life back. Yang was getting closer to finding all of them, but that wasn’t going to bring back all the days they lost. And it was becoming more and more apparent to Yang that her days of peace were gone for good. The fight against the White Fang was her first war, but it wouldn’t be her last. Yang’s jaw set in a hard line. She would give the rest of her limbs and her life, too, to make the world in the picture a reality again.

Several footsteps approached from down the hallway and around the corner. Yang shoved the photograph back into her jacket and stood up straight. Ruby’s voice reverberated through the corridor. Yang clenched her fists at her sides to control her nervous jitters. She blinked back the moisture forming in her eyes.

Team RNJR rounded the corner. They didn’t notice Yang initially, and continued chatting amongst themselves. Nora was the first to see the blond huntress. She gasped and clutched Ren’s arm, her pointer finger signaling the woman in front of the group.

“Yang!” There was surprised even in Ren’s subdued tone.

Ruby stopped dead. Her eyes darted from Juane, with whom she had been speaking, to the spot where Nora was pointing. She blinked once. Twice. The gears turning in her head could be seen behind her silver eyes. Those same eyes burst into tears. “Yang!” Ruby burst into a cloud of rose petals and engulfed her sister.

Yang caught her rematerialized sister in her arms. “I missed you so much, lil’ sis.” She squeezed Ruby in a bear hug, tears streaming down her face, too.

There was something different about Ruby. The way she carried herself, even while crying, was more mature - stronger, and not just in the physical sense. Her muscles were harder, of course; journeying across an entire continent as a huntress was no doubt to thank for that change. Ruby was also taller. Yang didn’t tower over her as much as before. Her little sister had grown so much in their time apart. Yang squeezed Ruby a little more tightly.

“Yang.” Ruby’s voice was muffled in Yang chest. “You’re crushing me…”

“Oh!” Yang released her sister. She rubbed the last of her tears from her eyes with her forearm.

“How…?” Ruby poked Yang’s new arm.

Yang laughed and tousled her little sister’s hair. “I guess I have a lot to explain.”

* * *

 

Yang plopped down on the ground next to a koi pond. She grabbed a stick from the ground and probed at the water. The garden Ruby had brought them to was perfect for catching up - quiet and, at the moment, deserted. The latter part was the most important, since Yang wanted to get Ruby up to speed on what was going on with Blake and their fight against the White Fang.

Ruby had quite the tale to tell. Her travels from Patch to Mistral had been perilous. Yang had expected as much. She had just made a very similar journey herself, after all. But, she didn’t have to fight anything like the Nuckelavee Ruby had mentioned. Her description of the giant horseman grimm sent a chill down her spine. It was good that Team RNJR had killed it. The creature wouldn’t be a menace to the people of Remnant any longer. Unfortunately, the world had a lot more troubles to contend with outside of the grimm.

Yang hunched forward, making herself smaller, as small as the guilt wracking her chest made her feel. She should have been there for her sister. It was like what Neptune had told Sun: ‘bros before hos.’ Yang had never questioned her decision to go after Blake instead of Ruby or her mother, but now she wondered if she should have put family first. Her choice had been made. There was no going back. And she was with Ruby now - there wasn’t any point in debating about the correctness of a choice she had made in the past.

“Damn, sis. That a lot to take in...” Yang glanced up at Ruby. Yang’s chest swelled with pride. Ruby had been through an arduous journey and came out on the other side a stronger huntress and person. There wasn’t anything more a sister could ask for. Ruby was stronger. She didn’t need Yang. As much as Yang wanted to be her little sister’s protector, that wouldn’t be her role going forward. She still hoped she could spare Ruby some of the horrors to come. Slaying monsters and protecting the weak was completely different than fighting a war, but she still needed Ruby’s help.  

“And that’s not even the half of it!” Ruby threw her hands into the air.

Yang cocked an eyebrow at her. “Really?” Ruby had already told her the whole story about how they got to Mistral - there couldn’t be too much more to tell.

“Well,” Ruby sat down next to Yang. She leaned back on her hands. “Maybe it’s a little more than half. But, there’s something important that I left out.”

“Spit it out, then.” Yang splashed water at Ruby with her stick.

“Hey!” Ruby shielded herself a moment too late. She shook the water off and spit some of it out of her mouth. Her eyes narrowed. A overly serious expression covered her face.

“You okay?” Yang had the feeling she wasn’t going to like whatever Ruby had to say. Her sister was never this serious.

  “Yeah, it’s just...you’ll believe me, right? No matter how crazy this is going to sound?” Ruby pressed her pointer fingers together like she always did when she was nervous.

“Of course! You’re my sister! You wouldn’t lie to me.” Yang gave Ruby a shifty gaze. “Besides, you’re a terrible liar.”

Ruby’s cheeks turned red. “Shut up!”

Yang laughed. “Spill it, already!”

“Do you remember the fairy tales you used to read me?”

“Yeah, sure.” Yang tossed the stick into the pond. That was an abrupt change in topic. Ruby was supposed to be telling her something serious. Not talking about her old bedtime stories. She teased her sister. “Been having trouble sleeping? I didn’t bring any books with me, but I can try from memory.”

Ruby wasn’t amused. She frowned severely at her older sister. “Yang…”

“What’s this about - really?”

“They’re real!” Ruby blurted out. Her arms shot straight up into the air.  “Well, not all of them.” She backtracked a bit. “You see, it’s the story of the two brothers, and the one about the seasons, too - maybe more of them? But those two for sure. Uncle Qrow has been working with Professor Ozpin forever to keep the world safe by protecting the relics. Oh! And the maidens help with that, too-”

“Wait, what?” _Maidens? Relics?_ All of the things Ruby was saying sounded too familier. Yang’s chest tightened. This had been what Yang’s mother had told her about in her dreams. Raven was somehow connected to everything. This couldn’t be just coincidence.  

Ruby took a deep breath. “Sorry...um, I know I’m not very good at explaining this...basically, the woman we are fighting, Salem, wants the four relics - knowledge, creation, destruction, and choice - so she can change the world. Each of the Huntsman Academies has one of the relics to protect. That’s one of the main reasons why they were built in the first place.”

“Okay.” Yang nodded. She was following Ruby, but that didn’t change the fact that her story was unbelievable. And who was this Salem person? That wasn’t the woman who attacked Beacon. Yang thought Ruby was going after her. “What about Cinder?” She cocked her head to the side to get a better look at Ruby’s face.

Ruby didn’t answer right away, and when she did, her voice was shaky. “Cinder’s a pawn. She works for Salem.”

Yang sympathized with Ruby’s hesitation. That was a scary thought. Cinder was powerful. And she wasn’t even the mastermind of the group behind the Fall of Beacon. This was a serious problem. Maybe an even bigger problem than the White Fang. If this was the fight Ruby had gotten herself involved in, she probably wouldn’t leave it to help Yang and Blake with their goal of taking back the White Fang. Yang sat back down and crossed her arms. Her nose scrunched up in thought. She had to find a way to convince her sister to help her.

The two groups had to be related somehow. Salem’s group and the White Fang were both present at the Fall. They had both been attacking the school. Taking control of the White Fang would put a wrench in what Salem was doing, even if it was just a small hindrance. That was her argument.

Ruby shifted uncomfortably. She was never one for silence. “She may just be a pawn, but she _is_ the fall maiden. That’s why she’s so powerful.”

Yang gripped her chin in her metal hand. She needed to know more. “How do the maiden’s play into the situation with the relics and the schools?”

“The maidens are crazy powerful. More powerful than huntsmen, even! We need them to help us protect the relics from Salem.

Yang fiddled with her hair. “And how are they more powerful than huntsman?”

“Because,” Ruby leaned forward and whispered in her sister’s ear. “They can use magic.”

Yang blew raspberries. She didn’t intend to be so cavalier, and she had promised to believe Ruby, but this was such a wild claim. “That’s impossible. Magic? What does that even mean, Ruby?”

“It means they have powers beyond the use of dust or semblance.” Ruby cast her eyes down. “I don’t really understand it myself…but I _do_ believe it.”

_Powers beyond the use of dust or semblance._ Yang thought back. Her breath caught in her throat. She could practically feel the suffocating power Raven possessed all over again. There was a connection here - and Yang was determined to figure it out. It might not be the same thing Ruby was referring to, but the memory was enough to convince her that there were powers in this world beyond what Yang currently understood.

“I believe you, Ruby.”

Her silver eyes lit up. “That means you’ll help?”

“I will.” Yang placed a hand on each knee. She gave her sister a stern glare. “But, in my own way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Blake and I are trying to take control of the White Fang.”

“Blake’s...here?” Ruby’s voice was airy. Disbelief was plastered on her face.  

Yang nodded. That wasn’t exactly the part she was hoping her sister would grasp onto, but it would do for now.

Ruby let out an excited squeal. “That means all of Team RWBY is here!” She gasped, and frowned. “Sort of…”

It wasn’t like Ruby to be so vague. Confusing, sure, but not vague. And she could only be talking about one person. Out of all the members of the Team RWBY, Yang figured the Ice Queen would be in the least amount of danger - sitting somewhere in a tall tower surrounded by the Atlesian Military. But now, according to Ruby, she was ‘sort of’ in Mistral. That didn’t make any sense. “What is it, Ruby? What’s going on with Weiss?”

Ruby wrung her hands in her lap and mumbled. “She’s missing.” Her brow compressed and she met Yang’s hard stare. “That’s the official story anyway, but I’m certain she was captured.”

“Captured?” Yang grimaced. “By who?”

Ruby lowered her voice. “According to Team RNJR’s investigation? The exact people you’re looking for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're getting into plot! I hope you all like where it's going. Let me know what you think!


	17. Cat and Mouse

Blake crossed her arms. Her face set in a hard scowl. She didn’t like it one bit. Ruby’s story of Weiss’ capture didn’t give her much hope that her former teammate was alive. Weiss wasn’t a delicate flower, but if the White Fang had truly captured her - her chances of survival were frighteningly low. The White Fang weren’t known for keeping prisoners. It was more efficient to kill them once they gave up all the information they had, and Weiss never struck Blake as the kind to break under interrogation. Realistically, that made her even more useless to them. She prayed Weiss wouldn’t become the first casualty in this war.   

Yang came to stand next to Blake. She grabbed her hand. Blake interlaced their fingers. “We’ll find her.”

Blake looked at Yang and nodded. She wasn’t about to voice how she really felt about the situation. Not with Ruby in the same room.   

Ruby opened her scroll and placed it on the ground in the middle of the group. A giant holographic map of Mistral materialized. Sun had to jump back, so he wasn’t standing in the middle of it.

“White Fang activity has been highest in two areas. Here.” Ruby touched a spot on the map close to where they were staying. The map zoomed in and showed an aerial view of a section of town that looked very much like the street outside the tavern. “We believe this area isn’t connected to any official White Fang activity - it appears to be nothing more than a faunus friendly area of the city with lots of taverns, bars, and -” Ruby cleared her throat. She blushed openly. “Other adult entertainment venues.”

Sun leaned over to Yang. He held up his hand and whispered in her ear. “I call dibs on staking that area out…” Yang laughed. Blake huffed. Neither of them could stay serious for any extended period of time.

Ruby’s voice pitched up. She was quick to zoom the map back out. “And here.” The next area Ruby zoomed in on was an industrial district quite a bit further away, down in the depths of the city. “Before being converted to an industrial hub, this area housed several dust mines - when the dust supply was exhausted, they were filled in, but it’s likely that one of them was cleared out and is being used as the White Fang’s primary base of operations in the city.”  

Blake cocked an eyebrow. “I’m impressed. This is very informative, Ruby, but how did you find all of this out? I presume you’ve had better things to do in your free time than look into the White Fang’s activities in Mistral...”

Ruby picked up her scroll. The map evaporated into thin air. “This is mostly Weiss’ handywork, actually. She was working with her sister and the Atlas military to - well, she didn’t give me too many details - but, from the bits of information she did share with me - it seems like she was looking into the same White Fang cell that aided in the attack on Beacon.”

Blake tensed. If what Weiss’ intel suggested was true, that meant Adam was leading the White Fang in Mistral. Adam no doubt knew Weiss had been Blake’s teammate at Beacon. There were plenty of reasons why a White Fang member would want to kill a Schnee, but her former partner would be out for Weiss’ head for no other reason than to cause Blake suffering. It was Weiss’ own work that had gotten her captured, but Blake still felt responsible.

Yang’s grip tightened around Blake’s hand. “If she didn’t share much with you, then how do you basically have all of the results of her investigation?”

“The night Weiss went missing there was a data dump on my scroll. She sent me everything. Probably to keep it safe...I still haven’t pieced everything together.” Ruby held her scroll close to her chest. Her lips quivered. She couldn’t keep her emotions in check. “We have to find her, Yang!”

“We will.” Yang let go of Blake’s hand and walked over to the coatrack where their travel cloaks hung. She pulled hers off the rack and over her shoulders. “Right now.”

Blake didn’t protest. She not only agreed with Yang, but wanted to do her part to help. Their search for Sienna was important, but not as important as this - Weiss’ life was at stake!  And even though Blake feared the worst, she wouldn’t give up on the slim chance of finding Weiss alive and unharmed.

“All right!” Sun jogged over to the door and grabbed his own cloak. “Let’s get this party started!”

“I wanna stick with Ruby on this one.” Yang looked to her sister, who nodded back seriously, and then to Sun. “Watch Blake’s back for me, okay?”

“I’d be more worried about him than me.” Blake smirked. She could at least give Sun the part of the mission he wanted. “To the red light district, then?”

Sun snapped to attention. “Yes, ma’am!”

“You’d still better take this seriously…”

“Oh, I am!” Sun relaxed. He put one hand on his hip, the other waving about animatedly. “Neptune would kill me if I didn’t at least try to help the Ice Queen.”

“Bros before hos.” Yang nudged him with her elbow and winked.

“Ugh. Don’t even.” Sun huffed and headed out the door. The smile on his face made it clear he was more amused than angry.

Blake didn’t get what they were referencing, but their goofiness was still refreshing. She smiled. The world needed more people like Yang and Sun. Even in the face of life threatening danger they were still having fun. One shouldn’t be a downer and put their life on hold because there was a war, a lesson Blake was glad to have learned before it was too late.

Yang crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. “I guess it’s to the dust mines for us, lil’ sis.”

“Okay!” Ruby punched her fist into the air. “Team RWBY is back in action!”

“Team RBY, anyway….” Blake said.

“We’ll get the ‘W’ back soon enough.” Yang threw her arms around Blake and Ruby’s waists and pulled them into a group hug. Both girls’ feet left the ground. Ruby whooped. Blake giggled in Yang’s ear.  

Blake’s feet returned to the ground and Yang released her waist. When Ruby turned toward the door, Blake leaned in and snuck a kiss on Yang’s cheek. The blush it produced on Yang’s face would have been more enjoyable, if Blake’s concern for Weiss and her fear of Adam hadden’t been all-consuming.

Blake followed Ruby out the door. Yang was right behind her.

* * *

 

Blake and Sun didn’t stand out one bit with their hooded get ups. It seemed like everyone in the red light district was trying to hide their faces.

“Over there.” Sun nonchalantly titled his head toward some masked White Fang members.    

Ruby’s intel was spot on. They White Fang weren’t even trying to hide their affiliation. Blake wasn’t complaining. It would make them all the easier to spy upon. She wasn’t looking for a fight. Information about Weiss’ whereabouts was the most important thing - and that meant following this group, and listening. Blake nodded to Sun.

Sun slowly lead them closer to the group. There were five of them and, judging from their physiques, two of them were women and the other three were men. They looked docile enough. None of them appeared armed, though they might have some faunus trait that could be used as a weapon. They stopped at the front door of one of the nicer looking clubs on the block, exchanged a few garbled words with the bouncer, and slipped inside.  

“Ooo, this place looks swanky. At least those White Fang guys have good taste.” Sun sauntered up to the bouncer.

The large bear faunus eyed him up and down. “Faunus only, pal.”

Sun wriggled his tail out from under his cloak.

The bouncer nodded and looked to Blake. “And your friend?” He crossed his arms and puffed his chest out.

Blake’s shoulders tensed. She didn’t want to show herself. It wasn’t likely that this bouncer knew who she was, but the idea of revealing herself in a place allied with the White Fang sent a made her uncomfortable nonetheless. Blake grit her teeth. It had to be done. _For Wiess._ She set her gaze on the ground and pulled her hood back just enough for him to see her two black cat ears. The bouncer grunted. Blake was quick to pull her hood back over her head.

“Go on in.” He stepped to the side and opened the door. “And don’t cause any trouble.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Sun gave him a small salut and winked. He crossed the threshold and disappeared into the club.

Blake was right behind him. The smell of the place hit her before she even made it through the door. Cheap perfume and sweat permeated the air. She took one sweeping look at the place. The smell alone had convinced her that this place fell under the category that Ruby described as “adult entertainment venues,” but seeing the half naked faunus - and humans - dancing around poles made the purpose of this place all the more obvious. It was a strip club.

Of the patrons, most of which had some clear indication of loyalty to the White Fang on their person, there were two distinct types. The first type were here on their own and quite transfixed with the dancers. The second came in larger groups who appeared more interested in partying with each other than with the entertainment. The group Sun and her had followed inside was part of the former category.

The two of them sat at the bar. Sun signaled the bartender and ordered two drinks. She made them up quick and moved on down the bar rail. There were several other people waiting on drinks besides them.

Blake reluctantly took the glass in front of her. A drink in hand would help her blend in with the rest of the patrons. That didn’t mean she liked drinking. She held the glass up to her nose and sniffed. It smelled like rubbing alcohol. She would have to take the stiff slow. Blake didn’t think she would ever be wishing for a strawberry sunrise, but it would be preferable to what she had in her hands. She smiled. It wasn’t the drink she was missing, but the person who went along with said drink.

Sun leaned close to Blake. He lowered his voice. “How do you wanna play this?”

“No need to tail the group who came in. Looks like there are plenty of potential targets here.” Blake took a sip of her drink. The liquid burned on the way down. She stifled a cough.

Sun snickered and took a big sip of his own drink. His expression soured. “Yeah, that’s a little too strong…”

Blake rolled her eyes. That’s what Sun got for trying to one up her. Neither of them were all that experienced with drinking. She tilted her head even closer to him. “We listen. And wait. Someone’s tongue is bound to loosen by the end of the night.”

* * *

 

Yang and Ruby stood in the shadows, their backs flush against the ally wall. They hadn’t even reached the mines and they were surrounded by members of the White Fang. Neither of them were experts in stealth, but they had been able to avoid suspicion - mostly by successfully staying out of sight. That wouldn’t be an option going forward. There wasn’t any way around their current obstacle.

“We could see if one of the other thoroughfares has cleared out.” Ruby shifted closer to her sister.

Yang shook her head. “I doubt that's happened…”

They had already checked out the other streets leading to the mines. There were only two others that lead to their destination, and those had been actively patrolled by the White Fang. This place was their best option to get by unnoticed. How could Ruby not see that? Yang felt her sister shaking against the wall. Ruby was desperate to get to Weiss. Understandably so, but it was clouding her judgment.

Yang watched the the White Fang members in front of them closely. They weren’t on duty, or at least they didn’t appear to be. Only a few were even masked. The rest were relaxed in small groups playing games - the gambling variety judging from the lien flashing back and forth between hands - or merely chatting. There were glass bottles being passed about. The scent of hard liquor was faint, but most certainly in the air. One group wasn’t drinking. They were sparring and far more alert than the rest of their comrades. It would be best to stay farthest from them. The others were most likely impaired enough to sneak past.  

The familiar metal clanking of Crescent Rose taking its scythe form came from Yang’s side. Thankfully, none of the White Fang members noticed. Yang needed to bring her sister back to her senses. “Put it away, Ruby...”

Ruby pouted. “We need to get through them, right?” She pulled back the bolt action on Crescent Rose, loading a round into the chamber. “This’ll be the quickest way.”

Yang understood her feelings all too well. It _would_ be faster to crush them and head onward to the mines. But, it wasn’t smarter. “Think about Weiss.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “I am.” Her squeaky voice didn’t match the seriousness of her expression.

Yang pointed toward their enemies. “If we go in there - guns blazin’ - Weiss won't last a second. They’ll know we’re here for her, and they’ll kill her.” There was no way to truely tell if that’s what would happen, but it was a risk Yang wasn’t willing to take. Ruby no doubt agreed.

The sisters stared into each other’s eyes, neither willing to back down. Ruby broke first, collapsing Crescent Rose back down into its holstered form and placing it back under her cloak.

“Hey!” One of the sparring faunus spotted them. A big guy. His faunus features weren’t readily distinguishable. He strutted in their direction. “What are you doing over there? Show yourselves!” Two of his friends, a fox faunus and a deer faunus, took notice and followed. The rest were too engrossed in their activities to bother.

“Shit…” Yang muttered under her breath. It was just three guys, nothing she and Ruby couldn’t handle, but staying out of sight had just utterly failed.

Ruby instinctively reached for Crescent Rose again, but somehow Yang knew her sister would stay her hand.

Yang had to do some damage control. And fast. She would do what she always did when she needed to get a guy to do what she wanted - flirt. It would work better if he could see her face, though, so Yang threw back her hood. She leaned against the wall and winked at the big guy leading the way.

“Hey, stud.” Her voice purred with sultry seduction. It was easy to put on her charms, but he didn’t seem to care much for her suggestive tone.

He continued at them angrily. His eyebrow twitched. “Don’t fuck with me, Blondie! You don’t belong here. Get out of here, before I make you!”

He wasn’t just big, he was huge. Almost the same size as Blake’s father, and he was clearly trying to use his size to intimidate the smaller girls. Yang bit back a laugh. His methods of intimidation were working just about as well as Yang’s flirting.

“Don’t talk to my sister like that, you dumb dumb poopie head!” Ruby moved between Yang and the the thug. She clenched her fist in front of her face, threateningly.

The big guy stopped a few paces in front of her. “Dumb...dumb poopie head…?” He was dumbfounded by the sheer ridiculousness of Ruby’s dig.

One thing was certain, Ruby’s insult game hadn’t gotten any better during her travels. Yang nearly facepalmed, but she didn’t want to take her eyes off of this guy for a second. It would’ve been better for both of them if Ruby had just kept her mouth shut. Once this guy recovered from his shock, he would be more pissed off than before. Nobody liked being slandered, even if it had been just a childish slur.

“Now you’ve done it.” He cracked his knuckles and took a step forward. “I don’t usually hit girls, but I think I can make an exception for two loud mouth bitches who don’t know when they aren’t welcome.”

They could escape now, come back later when there weren’t so many White Fang around, but Yang had an idea. She grabbed Ruby by the the shoulder and pulled her backward while striding past her. Yang whispered. “I’ll distract them. Get to the mines.” The sound of Ruby’s feet pattering away made it clear she got the message and was on board with the plan.

“There’s a smart one.” The big guy continued to take the lead when it came to the talking, even though his friends, Foxie and Antlers, had caught up and were flanking him. He put his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out. “You should follow your sister if there’s any sense in you.”

“I’ve never been one for sense.” Yang flipped her hair. She sauntered to his side and interlocked her arm with his. “And I never leave empty handed.”

He pushed her away. “Don’t fucking touch me, human!” This one was a hard ass of the purest sort. She would have to work one of his companions, instead.

“Dude,” Antlers tried to calm the big guy. “You don’t need to be so rough with her. She’s just a-”

There wasn’t time for that. The human hater pulled his fist back and charged at Yang.

“Whoa!” Yang feigned difficulty in dodging to the side and fell flat on her rear. This guy was slow and bulky - beating him would be no challenge at all. The hard part would be making it look like she got the best of him by luck alone.

The big guy smirked. Yang was down. He clearly thought he had the upper hand and, if this were a normal fight, that assumption would be spot on. That cocky grin wouldn’t stay plastered to his face much longer. He aimed a kick for Yang’s face. She laid back and flattened herself to the ground. His foot swept by her head with an inch of clearance. Yang rolled and splayed her legs in such a way that her foot caught the back of her opponent's knee.

“What the-” He tumbled to the ground.

Yang pushed herself from the ground and backed up toward the alley wall. She held her hands out, palms facing her attacker. It was still all a part of the show she was putting on. And it was causing exactly the frustration Yang was hoping for in her foe.

The big guy looked up at her from the ground, disbelief all over his features. A line of blood rolled down his jawline. He grunted and got to one knee. His brows pushed downward. “This is your last chance.” He wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand. “Leave.”

Yang stifled a smile. Her plan was working. He had no idea how outclassed he really was. “I told you already - I never leave empty handed.” Yang looked over at his Foxie and Antlers and winked. Their jaws hung slack. “Maybe one of your friends is willing to show a girl a good time?”

“Come on, man.” Foxie spoke up from his left side. He grabbed the big guy by the arm and pulled him all the way to his feet. “She doesn’t seem too bad, for a human.” He added the last part sheepishly and blushed.

“I wouldn’t mind showing her a good time.” Antlers looked Yang up and down.

“Stop thinking with your dicks! Both of you!” The human hater spat into the ground. He punched for Yang’s face. She sidestepped his fist at the last second. It plowed into the brick wall behind Yang. The bones crunched. He crumpled to the ground, cradling his hand.

Someone cleared their throat. Yang’s eyes shot to where the noise had come from. Another White Fang member had joined the three of them in the alley. Yang recognized him as one of the faunus who had been gambling earlier. Foxie and Antlers both made way for him.

He brought a dark green bottle to his lips and took a long swig. All of them waited. He brought the bottle down and sighed contentedly. The red-brown cat ears on the top of his head twitched. He surveyed the scene. “What in the hell is going on over here?” His voice was more amused than angry.

The big guy the wall had defeated scrambled to his feet. “Sir, this human was spying on us!”

Yang shrugged and laughed. “Spying!?” She put on her most suggestive smile and looked the cat faunus straight in the eye. He was tipsy. That would make him a much easier target. Plus, the big guy called him ‘sir.’ He was likely to have more information than these underlings. Two birds with one stone - she had been able to cause enough of a stir to distract these guys from seeing Ruby and she could get some information about Weiss or Adam, maybe even Sienna. Things were looking up. “I suppose you could call what I was doing spying...but it’s not what you think.”

“Oh?” Sir perked up. He laughed.

“Yeah! All I’m looking for is someone to show me a good time.”

Sir cocked an eyebrow. “You have odd taste, human. You’ll find nothing but faunus here. And White Fang, at that. I think we’re a little too much for you to handle.”

Yang pulled the tie on her cloak. It fell to the ground, revealing the busty blond’s figure in its entirety. She didn’t worry about this guy seeing her metal fingers poking out of her glove, his focus was on Yang’s other assets. A few steps closed the distance between them. Yang leaned into Sir’s body. She slid her hand down his arms and plucked the bottle from his hand. His eyes widened as Yang threw the bottle back and took a liberal gulp. She let some of the liquid escaped her lips and drip down her chin.

“Oh, I think you’ve got things a little mixed up, Sir.” Yang whispered into his human ear. “Ya see, I’m a little too much for _you_ to handle.”

Sir threw his arm around Yang’s waist possessively and pulled her close. “Prove it.”

* * *

 

It was getting late, and Blake hadn’t heard any whisperings about Wiess from the White Fang. The members here were either really well trained, or they didn’t care to talk about work while out for a night on the town. Either way, she was ready to head back to their base of operations and call the night a bust. Yang and Ruby had better be having better luck.

Blake glanced over at Sun. He had thrown his hood back hours ago, and - although he hadn’t had too many drinks - his cheeks were tinted red. His left and right arms were both slug over the shoulders of two pretty, young girls. He could be doing better with information gathering, too. If he had managed to remember why they were even here.

Staying here any longer would be a greater risk than Blake cared to take. She wished she had noticed how intoxicated Sun had gotten earlier. He was such a lightweight compared to Yang - Blake never had to worry about this sort of thing with her partner.

“Get your hands off my fucking girlfriend!”

Blake jumped up and looked to where the angry voice had come from. A masked White Fang member crossed the club from the front door. He headed straight for Sun, and he was armed. A standard issue White Fang rifle was slung over his shoulder. _Oh no..._

“Is that any different than a regular girlfriend?” Sun teased the guy. He didn’t remove his arms from either girl.

The boyfriend grabbed Sun with both hands by his jacket collar and pulled him roughly out of his seat. One of the girls scrambled away. The other stood and tried to pry the guy off of Sun.

Blake facepalmed. _Sun, you idiot._ She hurried to his side.

“Calm down, Rico.” The girlfriend pulled at Rico’s fingers. “We were just talkin’.”

 _Rico..._ That name was familiar. Blake couldn’t place where she had met him, but she had no doubt that she had crossed paths with him in her time with the White Fang. If she knew him, even vaguely, he would know her. They needed to leave - now.

“Sorry.” Blake looked downward, taking care to make sure her whole face was covered. “My friend’s an idiot. If you just let him go, we’ll leave.”

Rico looked at Blake, and then back to Sun. He grit his teeth. It didn’t seem like he was in the most forgiving of moods. There was a tense silence. Blake held her breath. She didn’t want to make him release Sun, but she would. Just when Blake thought she would have to take action, Rico let go, and gave Sun a little shove for good measure.

Blake caught Sun and steadied him. The impact shifted her hood enough for Rico to get a peek at her face. She gripped Sun’s hand tightly and made a beeline for the door.

“Wait!” Rico call out.

There was no way in hell Blake was waiting. She dragged Sun out the door and ran down the street as fast as her legs would carry her. Sun kept up surprisingly well in spite of his inebriated state. No one tried to stop them from the front. And no one came at them them from behind. Whatever had made that Rico guy call out to her in the club - and Blake was certain it was a flash of recognition - it clearly hadn’t been worth chasing them. He probably thought he was seeing things. Running into Blake Belladonna in a strip club in Mistral had to be the last thing he expected.

They were out of the red light district, but they kept running.  

“Blake! Slow down, would ya?” Sun slowed his own pace and resisted being pulled along.

Blake looked around for a good place to hide. There was an alleyway off to her right. That would do fine. She turned into it and came to a halt. “Sun, are you for real right now? Getting drunk? Picking a fight? You could’ve gotten us caught - or killed!”

“I’m not drunk.” Sun blew raspberries. He wasn’t grasping what Blake was saying at all. “Besides, I got some good intel.”

Blake crossed her arms. “You did?” This was a surprise. A pleasant one, if it turned out to be true. At least the risk they took would have been worth it.

Sun crossed his arms, too. “Don’t sound so surprised.” He wasn’t acting nearly as drunk. His faux intoxication had to have been part of his plan all along.

Blake was impressed. She wouldn’t be so quick to doubt him in the future. “So?”

“They definitely have Weiss.” Sun’s tone became serious. “One of those girls is a guard at the White Fang prison in the mines. She was more than happy to brag about how they had captured a Schnee…”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner!?” Blake was angry. And scared.

“What was I supposed to do? Call you over in the club?” Sun put on a suave voice and put his arm around an invisible girl. He gestured to Blake. “Ladies, this is my friend: Blake Belladonna. Oh you know her? What a coincidence!”

“Alright, I get it.” Blake huffed. Even if the two girls didn’t know of her directly, they probably would have been briefed on her existence. This was Adam’s White Fang splinter group, after all, and he wanted Blake found more than anything. “Did they say anything else?”

Sun fidgeted. “Not in too much detail, but it sounds like they’re torturing her, for sure.”

There was a silver lining to this information. Weiss had information that the White Fang wanted. She wouldn’t be killed - yet.  “What makes you say that?”

Sun gulped and cleared his throat. His voice was strained. “Do you really wanna know?”

Blake considered the question for a moment. An image of a tortured Weiss popped into her mind. She cringed. Her imagination was bad enough. “No.”

They had to get her out. Blake’s chest tightened. It was difficult to breathe without whimpering. She clenched her fists at her sides. _She’s alive!_

Sun wrapped his arms around Blake and pulled her into a tight hug. “We’ll get her back.”

* * *

 

Yang leaned back and threw her arm over the top of the leather couch. It had been a while since she had gotten to kick back in a private room at a club, and this one wasn’t half bad. Sir had gone all out to get these accommodations. Yang eyed her “date” - this Makoto guy. Makoto _Sir_. He threw back a shot and gave her a cocky smile. Yang smirked back. He was honestly her type. The two of them could have had a lot of fun together if he wasn’t with the White Fang. And if Yang wasn’t with Blake. They hadn’t actually talk about the boundaries of their new-found relationship, but it had felt very exclusive on the roof last night. Yang hoped that was the case.

Yang felt bad for tricking Makoto - and for going to lengths Blake surely wouldn’t be happy about in order to get information out of him - but fulfilling their mission was more important than all of that. Makoto would get over his feelings when Yang disappeared, and Blake would be satisfied with the intel Yang acquired. Everything was going to turn out alright.

There wasn’t any need press for info about Weiss. She had heard several people mention the Schnee name in passing. It sickened her to think of Weiss under the lock and key of these bastards in the mines deep below the city, but Ruby was on her way there now if everything was going according to plan. It wouldn’t be long before they had her back and out of harm's way.

“Hey.” Makoto’s voice was husky with desire. He twiddled his fingers along the joints of Yang’s metal fingers. He had noticed the prosthetic almost immediately, but Yang had explained it away easily. A birth defect, and rich family that could afford to get an Atlas prosthetic. He bought the lie, far too fascinated with it to be suspicious. “What’s on your mind, babe?”

Yang tilted herself back and placed her legs on his lap. She expected the bulge she felt there, but would avoid that sort of commitment if possible. “I was thinking how exciting it must be to be in the White Fang! I bet you’ve got some great war stories!”

“War stories?” He laughed. “I wish. We own this town. There aren’t any fights to get into - no one is strong enough to stand up against us.”

There was a certain longing in his voice. Yang grimaced, but averted her gaze as to not be seen. He wouldn’t have to hold out much longer for the war he so yearned. It was already here.

A scroll rang. Makoto pulled his out of his pants pocket. He declined the call without checking who was the caller and placed his scroll on the table to the side of the sofa.

“Oh?” Yang tone went sharp at the end. She twirled a golden lock of hair with her index finger. “I guess I heard wrong, then…”

“What are you talking about?” Makoto didn’t seem all that interested in their conversation. His hand slid up Yang’s leg.

“Well,” Yang squeezed his hand against her thigh. She leaned forward and tilted her head to the side as if to kiss him, but she stopped a couple inches from his lips. “My last date told me there are lots of different factions of the White Fang. Two here in this very city - fighting for dominance.”

“You…” He paused. A mix of emotion from anger to disappointment to lust played out on his face. “Don’t worry about political bullshit like that. Just say here with me.” Makoto pulled Yang in for a kiss. She turned her cheek to him, and that’s where his lips landed.

Yang rolled her eyes and gently pushed herself away from him. “I told you I was too much for you to handle.” She swung her feet off of his lap and onto the ground. This was the time to play hard to get. Yang would get the information she wanted now, or leave.

“Where are you going?” Makoto stood and frantically grabbed Yang’s wrist. His scroll rang again. He let it ring.

“I’m here for thrills, not romance. That was just a little much…” Yang didn’t like being snooty, even if it was for show. It was hard to actively put disdain into her voice.

“Got it. No romance. Sorry.” Makoto he composed himself and smirked. It was forced. He was still worried he had lost his chance to get in Yang’s pants. “I have one story you might like…”

Yang looked back at her side of the couch and then back at Makoto. “Just one?”

“Tensions between our faction and Sienna’s have only gotten strained recently - if you stick around, I’ll surely have more stories…”

 _Bingo!_ Yang plopped back down on the sofa. She didn’t want to push too hard for fear of looking _too_ well informed. It would be best to just listen closely. Makoto had already mentioned Sienna of his own accord. There was a good chance he would inadvertently spill some good info about her.

Makoto sat back down next to Yang. He threw an arm around her shoulders and relaxed into her. “I was leading a patrol on the northwestern edge of the city. We were ambushed by a whole slew of Sienna’s men.”

“An ambush?” Yang put on her best fearful expression. She gripped Makoto’s arm. “How’d you survive that?”

Makoto puffed his chest out. “We weren’t about to be bested by those losers. We-” His scroll rang a third time. Makoto grumbled. He gave the thing an irritated look and snatched it from the table, finally answering it. “This better be fucking important.” He gave Yang an apologetic look and turned away from her slightly.

Yang couldn’t hear every word, but she heard enough to become concerned. They were talking about Blake. Something had happened on her end. They knew she was in the city.

“Rico, man, slow the fuck down.” A pause. “Blake Belladonna? Uh huh. You’re sure?” Makoto looked back at Yang and sighed. He ran his free hand through his hair, then turned away again for a bit more privacy. “Fuck...you have the _worst_ timing! No, stay put. I’ll meet you there.” He hung up.

Yang gave him a confused look. “Sounds like you’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Yeah, something’s come up.” Makoto cursed and shook his head.

“Important White Fang matters?” Yang teased. She scooted a little closer, running a hand through his hair. She could have stopped him right there and then, he appear suspicious of her in any way, but someone else knew about Blake, too. Rico, the person on the other end of the call. Yang needed to do something about both of them. That meant playing this game a little bit longer.

Makoto answered not with words, but with a kiss. He cupped Yang’s face with both hands and pressed his lips hard against hers. It wasn’t the most skillful of kisses, both of them were tipsy, and Makoto was surely drunk with how much liquor he had consumed. Yang nearly gagged on the guy’s tongue. He was breathless when he pulled away. “I want to see you again.”

Yang licked her lips and smiled. “I’ll find you.” It wasn’t a lie. It would just be sooner than he expected.

“Good.” Makoto hurried to the door. “I should have a good story after tonight.” He winked and was gone.

Yang followed him out of their private room, through the club, and back out to the street. She needed  to come up with a plan. It pained Yang to admit, but the best option she had was to kill Makoto and his friend Rico.

The idea of taking a life sent chills down Yang’s spine. She thought she had come to terms with this simple truth after her fight with Ilia. That clearly wasn’t the case.

She didn’t want to kill anyone, but she needed to be decisive. There wasn’t any room for emotions. Blake needed to be protected. And to do that, Yang would have to do some unsavory things.

There had to be another way. Yang grit her teeth and barrelled forward. There wasn’t another way. Blake was in danger. Two members of the White Fang were after her right now, and Yang was still wavering? She was no protector if she couldn’t bring herself to take a life or two for the woman she loved. It was them or Blake. Yang didn’t have enough time to consider another option. Adrenaline pushed her forward.

Makoto ran through the streets nimbly for someone drunk, but Yang didn’t lose sight of him once. He came to a stop in front of a club in the red light district. A man and two women were waiting for him. All of them spoke together in a huddle with hushed tones. Yang’s stomach dropped. It wasn’t right. They were just like her - all of them - with families, friends, life. And futures that Yang didn’t want to steal.

The deed needed to be done now, before Yang lost her nerve. She gulped and walked up to them. Makoto would be first. She didn’t want to see him suffer. He wasn’t a bad guy at heart. _They’re just like grimm. They want to hurt you. They want to kill you. You’re doing the right thing._ Yang resisted the urge to puke.

A quick tap to the shoulder got Makoto’s attention. He turned around, ready to tell off the unwanted interloper. His demeanor shifted when he saw who it was. He was confused, but smiled nonetheless. “Yang? Couldn’t stay away, huh?”

“No.” Yang deadpanned. She placed a hand on his shoulder and sent a shot from Ember Celica into his gut. Three more shots followed. Four total - three to break his aura and one more to send his guts flying. Yang pulled her blood soaked hand from Makoto’s innards and his body slunk to the ground, a smile still on his lips. He never saw it coming.

“What the fuck!?” The other guy, probably Rico, trained his rifle on Yang. The two girls screamed and jumped out of the way. He opened fire.

It was point blank range, but Yang’s aura protected her from every bullet. They ricocheted off her in every direction. It was a wonder none of the bullets bounced back at the guy firing at her.

Yang plucked the gun from his hands. It was too easy. She cringed. It wasn’t even fair. They weren’t huntsmen. None of them stood a chance against her. This wasn’t the kind of fight that made her blood boil. On the contrary, it made her blood run cold. She hated it. Yang crushed the rifle and threw it to the ground. Rico took a few steps back. His body shook at the sight of the huntress before him. He turned to run.

Yang didn’t let him get far. She vaulted over him and landed in his path of retreat where he was meet with a forehead to the nose. He fell to the ground, blood spurting everywhere, clutching his nose. Yang slammed her heel into his gut. His head jerked upward. Yang met it halfway with the elbow of her prosthetic arm. There were two loud cracks - one when Yang’s elbow smashed into Rico’s face, and the other when his head plowed into the ground. He didn’t move again.

The two girls were next. Yang turned to face them. One of them was already lying in a pool of blood. The ricocheting bullets must have gotten her. Yang was grateful. That was at least one life she didn’t have to take with her own two hands. The girl bawling by her dead friend was another story.

Yang took a step forward. The crying girl didn’t even try to run. “Does anyone else know about Blake Belladonna?”

“No.” Her lip trembled.

There was no way to know if she was telling the truth, but Yang chose to believe her. She didn’t want to hunt anyone else down. Yang cocked Ember Celica and sent one shot to the girl’s head. That one shot was all it took. The girl hadn’t even activated her aura.

* * *

 

Blake looked through the blinds at the road down below. The streetlights flickered and went off one by one. The night sky was lightening, giving way to the morning. Yang and Ruby still weren’t back. Blake was getting more and more worried by the second.

“I wonder what’s taking them so long…” Sun stopped his pacing and came to Blake’s side. He looked out the window, too. “Think they ran into trouble?”

“Maybe…” Blake didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but Ruby and Yang did have a knack for getting into trouble. It had always been that way at Beacon, too. Blake trusted them to get the job done, but people’s methods were not so easily changed.

Sun put a hand on Blake’s shoulder. “There’s no saying we can’t get Wiess ourselves.”

Blake tore her eyes from the world outside and looked at him. “I know.” She placed her hand on the window sill and sighed. “Let’s give them a little more time.”

“Roger that!” Sun resumed his pacing.

 _Yang...you better come back to me._ Blake shook her head and gulped back tears. Waiting was terrible. She was afraid. This was why she never let anyone get close to her. Never in her life had loving someone done her any good. Yang’s words - and lips - had been convincing enough last night, but now - the thought of losing her, the possibility of her never coming back - it would be easier to bear if they hadn’t kissed.

A hard knock brought Blake back to her senses. Her heart lept. It was Yang. That was her initial thought, anyway, but she wasn’t about to let her guard down. She pulled Gambol Shroud from her back and gave Sun, who had his own weapon at the ready in it’s shotgun-nunchaku form, a nod.

Sun yanked the door open and pointed both shotguns at the person standing in the doorway. He lowered his weapon immediately upon seeing his friend and smiled. “Yang! Thank goodness it’s you. We were-”

Sun froze and Blake’s breath caught in her throat. They needed to get her medical attention. Yang was covered in blood. The sticky, red substance ran up her arms from her fingertips and all over her clothes. Each step she took left splotches of red in her wake. Sun reached out to her, but Yang pushed by him without a word.

Blake stomach churned. Yang’s eyes were dull. She looked like a dead woman walking. Something terrible had happened. Blake put both her hands on Yang’s shoulders and looked her partner in the eyes.

“Yang. Snap out of it.” Blake was stern, but spoke each word slowly and carefully. “What happened?” She looked to the door, hoping Ruby could explain, but she wasn’t there. She hadn’t come back. The hairs on the back of Blake’s neck stood on end. “Where’s Ruby?”

Yang shrugged her partner off, leaving a smear of fresh blood on Blake’s arm. She proceeded straight to the bathroom. The sound of her retching filled the room. Blake gave Sun a distraught look. He shrugged back. His face was pale. What the hell was going on?

Blake wouldn’t be pushed away. Not after everything she and Yang had been through together. She walked over to the bathroom door, it was slightly ajar, but Blake still knocked. “Yang?” There wasn’t an answer. Blake pushed the door open a little further to get a better look at Yang. Her head hung slack over the toilet. She was shaking, and sobbing quietly. Blake gasped and covered her mouth. She figured it out. Yang had killed someone. It was the only explanation.

Whatever Yang’s reasons had been to make such a drastic call, Blake trusted them. Yang wouldn’t do something like that unless it was absolutely necessary. It was a burden Blake had wished to take solely on herself, even knowing it was an unrealistic goal. First blood had been drawn in the war, and it wouldn’t be the last. Yang wouldn’t be the only one with blood on her hands for much longer.

“Yang. It’s okay.” Blake knelt down and wrapped her arms around her partner’s shoulders. There wasn’t anything Blake could say to take away the pain Yang was feeling, but she had to try. “ _Everything_ is going to be _okay_.”

“No. Not yet.” Yang pushed herself up with the help of the toilet and wiped the remaining bits of spittle from her lips. Her eyes were ablaze. “They know you’re here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, this one got long. For me anyway, but there was a lot to get done in this chapter.  
> We've gone off the deep end now, everyone! Get ready for a wild ride. Haha. And as always, happy reading!


End file.
